


A Quirkless Inquisitor

by BitchImTired



Series: The Green Butterfly Effect [8]
Category: Dragon Age - All Media Types, Dragon Age: Inquisition, 僕のヒーローアカデミア | Boku no Hero Academia | My Hero Academia
Genre: BAMF Midoriya Izuku, Bad Parent Midoriya Inko, Bakugou Katsuki Bashing, Bakugou Katsuki Being an Asshole, Bakugou Katsuki Faces Consequences, Blood Mage Hawke (Dragon Age), Blood Mages, Blue-Purple Hawke (Dragon Age), Cute Midoriya Izuku, F/F, F/M, Gen, Good Parent Midoriya Hisashi, Isekai, Kid Inquisitor, Leliana (Dragon Age) Knows All, M/M, Midoriya Izuku Dies, Midoriya Izuku Does Not Have One for All Quirk, Midoriya Izuku Needs A Hug, Midoriya Izuku is a Ray of Sunshine, Modern Boy in Thedas, Modern Character in Thedas, Modern Girl in Thedas, Momquisitor, Multi, Other, Parental Cassandra, Parental Solas, Parental Varric, Protective Inquisition, Quirkless Midoriya Izuku, Solas fucked up, Spirit Healer Hawke, Suicidal Thoughts, Suicide, Teen Inquisitor, The Inquisition Adopts Izuku, Violence, Yagi Toshinori | All Might Bashing
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-30
Updated: 2021-02-15
Packaged: 2021-03-11 05:27:29
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 14
Words: 69,541
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28419849
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BitchImTired/pseuds/BitchImTired
Summary: After a bad day zuku faces the reality, he will never be accepted in a world full of quirks, there is nothing for him here, nobody needs him, so he jumps, when finally thinks it's over, a voice calls him to another word saying he is needed.OrAu where Izuku commits suicide and wakes up in the Dragon Age Inquisition World! The Inquisition ends up adopting him.
Relationships: Aizawa Shouta | Eraserhead & Midoriya Izuku, Cassandra Pentaghast/Varric Tethras, Female Adaar/Cullen Rutherford, Female Adaar/Josephine Montilyet, Female Cadash/Josephine Montilyet, Fenris/Hawke (Dragon Age), Fenris/Male Hawke, Leliana/Female Surana (Dragon Age), Male Inquisitor (Dragon Age)/Original Character(s), Male Lavellan/Dorian Pavus, Midoriya Izuku & Cassandra Pentaghast, Midoriya Izuku & Varric Tethras, Midoriya Izuku/Original Character(s), Midoriya Izuku/Original Elf character, Other Relationship Tags to Be Added, Solas & Midoriya Izuku
Series: The Green Butterfly Effect [8]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2199276
Comments: 467
Kudos: 426





	1. Goodbye Earth, Hello Thedas.

**Author's Note:**

> This chapter has yet to be beta read! If anyone wants to beta read it contact me!
> 
> [My Tumblr](https://ultra-bitchlord.tumblr.com/)  
>  **Please leave comments and kudos, tell me what you liked about the chapter, it helps me keep motivated to keep writing and to actually know if you guys are liking my work!**
> 
> \--------------
> 
> I have a Discord Server<https://discord.gg/7GC3puC> You guys can chat and share anything you like, I'll be warning when a chapter is coming up and posting some fanart from time to time.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Soooo, your thoughts? I will continue this fic if enough people are interested in it, like 10 people liking it is enough for me, if I'm going to post it here I need an audience X''D

Midoriya Inko hasn't spoken a word to her son since he was four. With a mix of her attraction quirk with her husband’s fire quirk? Her son should had have the perfect quirk, just imagine, being able to control the fire around him, pulling it to himself, the boy could even defeat Endeavor by devouring the man’s flames.

But no, fate cursed her with a defective, quirkless, useless, incapable child. She should have gotten rid of him, but Hisashi would find out soon or later if she did, so she kept the child, her husband working abroad continued to send money in order to support her and the brat.

She cannot understand how the man can love a useless child, a child who would only give them work, what she would have give to Bakugou Katsuki as her son instead of that pathetic creature. Deku, the blond boy started calling her son, a name that suits him, she thought to herself, she was pleased to see that the useless, weak poor Izuku came home with burns and bruises.

She pretended to care, asking what happened, who had hurt her baby, but both she and the child knew she didn't care anymore, he could see the malice in her eyes, the same look he received from everyone at school.

Inko stopped pretending after that, not exchanging words with the boy, she keeps feeding him, buying his clothes with a hesitancy 'I could be spending that money on more important things' she thought to herself, but she couldn't let anyone find out that she didn't care about the child, she has to keep up appearances, even though all she wants is to get rid of him.

The years passed and nothing changed between them, the boy sometimes tried to talk to her, but she ignored him, there was not a day that the kid would not come home without injuries, one night he would not stop crying in pain, it irritated Inko , she had to work all day and was tired, that night she made her way to the boy's room and wrapped her hands around the boy's neck, squeezing with all her strength, he tried to scream, he countered trying to escape of her grip, but it was in vain.

She wanted to choke him to death, but unfortunately, that would result in her arrest, so when the boy was about to pass out she released him, falling to the floor and grunting in pain as he hit his purple back on the foot of the bed, he looked at his mother with a frightened look. Great, maybe that way she can go back to having a quiet night, she crouched down and smiled and whispered in her son's ear 'if you open your mouth in this house again, I will rip your heart out' the boy, fascinated with quirks, knew that she would be able to do this with her ability to attract small objects.

Izuku never spoke again in the house after that night.

Kacchan always hurts him, uses his quirk to blow up his school supplies, which was terrible because without the materials he wouldn't be able to study and take notes in class, and if he hangs around in school they would call Inko, and he really doesn't want to have to deal with his mother's wrath, the last time he pissed her off he went without eating for a week and was locked out of the house.

It’s painful, every single second of every single day of every year, it’s always the same thing, he barely sleeps, wakes up, gets ready for school, eats rotten food since his mother stops bothering making him food, gets bullied at school, comes back home with broken ribs or worse.

At some point he stopped smiling, stopped talking, stopped trying to fight back, held his tears from falling, and swallowed a sob so he wouldn’t make any noise, that was his life for the next ten years.

Ten years that he spent hoping that dad would come back, the only person who actually cared for him, if he knew about what he was going through…but he can’t bother him with that, he has an important work, he has no time to deal with worthless Deku, mother had said so, said he would be disrupting his father’s work, so he kept quiet, trying his best to convey that he was happy through the phone, fortunately, his father was so tired all the time that he never questioned the fake cheer that Izuku forced himself to express on their calls.

When he turned fourteen things managed to get even worse for him middle year, his teacher telling the class about him wanting to still be a hero even with him not having a quirk, which pissed Kacchan off, he beat him up after class, threw his notebook that he work so hard off the window and told him ‘If you want to be a hero so badly, then take a swan off the roof and pray you get a quirk on your next life’ that broke something inside of him, he didn’t think he could have been broken any further, clearly he was wrong.

He met All Might, his favorite hero who saved him from as sludge villain, he nervously asked for an autograph and before the hero could storm off he asked if he could be a hero, his eyes bright with hope, pleading that the man would say yes.

But he said no ‘you would just be a burden, try to be realistic kid, a quirkless person would never be able to be a hero, you will just get yourself killed, give up’.

Izuku’s eyes watered, his lip twitching as he held a sob. ‘can’t cry, make no sound, mother will get mad’ he looked down, the hero flew away, leaving him on the top of a building’s roof.

It hurt so much, his chest was tight, he had been thinking about killing himself for years, but the boy hoped that one-day things would change, that one day he would be valued, that the pain would go away.

But it seems that he was wrong, there is no place for him in this world, for a quirkless and useless person, how will he manage to survive in the future? His mother already hated him and took care of him so as not to be arrested, but when he becomes of age she will not think twice about kicking him out from home. There is not the slightest possibility that he will get a job, he has already tried; but when the person finds out that he is quirkless they close the door in his face.

The world is cruel, he just wanted to be loved by someone, that someone cared for him, that someone said 'yes, you can be a hero' he wanted to be a symbol for the little quirkless that still exist in the world, to give them hope, but he will not be able to achieve his dream, there is no way, he is weak, fragile, useless, pathetic. He never had a reason to continue living, but after today he finally realized that there is truly nothing for him in this world, why continue to suffer when he can end it all? When he can finally stop the pain and rest.

He walked towards the edge of the roof, he thought about leaving his shoes with a note, but who would care to read it? He has no one to message; his father was overseas and would be better without him, Inko didn’t care, he had no friends, no other loved ones, ity was stupid for him to even think about writing a note.

He smiled bitterly, looking up at the sky he took a deep breath and then…

He jumped.

People screamed in horror as a child fell from the building, his body plastered across the road as blood painted the street.

Nobody will miss him, he wasn’t needed.

Darkness consumed him and he welcomed death with open arms.

* * *

**“Fear not my child”**

A voice said in the void.

**“You are needed somewhere else”**

He opened his eyes only to close them again from how bright the person in front of him was.

**“I shall give you the knowledge of my language and a little gift from me”** The feminine figure approached him lading a small kiss on his forehead.

He felt overwhelmed as received images flashing in his mind, words he didn’t understand in one minute and then the other he knew what they meant, he also felt a warm feeling in his chest that he couldn’t figure out what it was. 

**“Farewell my child, I’ll see you again”**

‘Who are you, why am I still alive?’ He wanted to voice his question but no word left from his mouth.

Even with his eyes closed he couldn't help but struggled against the light becoming brighter as it consumed him.

When he opened his eyes again he swayed almost falling, his head was a bit fuzzy but he was able to grasp ahold of himself.

Where is he? Wide-eyed Izuku looked around, trying to recognize the place, but he found himself lost, it looked like those places that only appeared in classic films and games, people were wearing exaggerated dresses, there were guards in metal and gold armor, on his right side there was a line with people dressed in a type of tunic, staffs in hand staring with a hateful look at the people in his left who were wearing heavy armor, they were glaring back.

Izuku shuddered, why was their aura so hostile against each other? He made himself look small, walking his way out of the room slowly into another room.

He noticed that people had plain hair colors, brown, black, blond, and white, but no other color or sign of mutation, they all looked like…like they were quirkless, like him. There were very, **very** tall people with horns and humans with pointed ears, there were also a lot of people with dwarfism.

He felt himself being watched by the adults, some that were wearing masks were staring at him, he didn’t see their expression but he felt like they were judging him. The other adults without masks had the decency of looking away when he made eye contact.

He felt nervous here, he has no idea what was going on, he killed himself; shouldn’t he be in the void? Was this the afterlife? If so, it was really weird….

He noticed a tan-skinned boy with white hair who looked the same age as he was eyeing him curiously, he had pointy ears just like the others he had seen, though this one had a tattoo on his face, the boy’s yellow eyes were sparkling as he focused on Izuku’s hair.

When he walked towards him, Izuku prepared himself to take a punch, the boy stopped taken aback, he was shocked by the greenette’s reaction, his smile fell, frowning slightly, he slowed his pace.

“Hey there, I’m not going to hurt you okay?” The boy said softly but still a bit confused.

Izuku peered through his fingers, slowly he let his arms fall to his sides, he eyed the other suspiciously, looking around expecting others to pop out and use their quirks on him.

The dark-skinned boy noticed it and frowned even deeper. “Why are you expecting me to punch you?”

The greenette shook slightly, he knew if he didn’t answer things would get worse for him. “I-I’m j-just u-used to i-t” He flinched at how hoarse his voice came out.

The pointed eared human’s eyes widened, he went from shocked to angry really fast which made Izuku whimper in fear, the boy’s eyes softened at noticing his distress before going back to looking around furious. “Tch, these shems are really something, not only they mistreat the elves but they mistreat their own as well” He murmured angrily.

Midoriya blinked slowly, blinking away tear that had gathered on the edge of his eyes. ‘what are shems?’ he asked himself. ‘and did he just mention elves?’ his eyes went wide, wait, he knew elves from fairy tales books, he examined the boy who was in a sour mood, was he an elf? Wait, if he was…was he stuck in some sort of fantasy word?

‘You are needed somewhere else’

He remembered the bright lady telling him ‘why would I be needed in another world???’.

The elf was staring at him amusedly as he started to mutter to himself, he talked fast so the other couldn’t really make out anything of it, but it was still amusing.

“Name’s Silvhen from the clan Lavellan” The teen presented himself breaking Izuku from his thoughts. “You have an unnatural hair-color for a human”

“O-Oh I-I hmmm, I-I’m Izuku” What does he say? Where he comes from green hair is very common. “I-It’s p-paint?”

The other just blinked blankly. “Why does that sounds like a question?” He rolled his eyes; he wasn’t expecting the other to be such a bad liar, who the hell names their child Izuku??? Letting out a sigh he looked around, his Keeper was busy talking to some non-dalish elves, probably trying to convert them.

He grabbed the strange boy’s hand who yelped and dragged him to an empty room. “C’mon I heard the revered mother from the chantry keeps nugs in her room as pets” He giggled excitedly, to be honest, he was bored out of his mind here, he doesn’t even know why his Keeper would even bother bringing him to the Conclave.

Izuku who was beyond confused just let himself be dragged by the boy Silvhen, they stopped in front of a huge door. The elf looked at him and made a sign for him to keep quiet. “Stay here, I’m going to see if there are any templars around”

‘What the hell are templars?’ Izuku thought to himself wearily, he just nodded, as the other just went poof, invisible in front of his eyes ‘what the hell?’ he was so confused!!

"Hold the sacrifice still"

A dark voice came startled him, it came from behind the big door, the tone of the voice reminds him of when his mother tried to kill him while he slept, it sent a chill through his spine, he pushed the door slightly to peek.

“Someone! Help me!!”

Izuku stared wide-eyed at the old lady being lifted by a man who had red stuff coming out of his skin, the woman was crying out for help, he looked around, he should get somebody, but…but what if when he comes back it’s too late?

“Hey the path is clear we can-” Silvhen stopped middle sentence when saw the horrified look on Izuku’s face. “Are you okay?” He asked worriedly.

The greenette didn’t hear him, too distracted thinking about what to do, when the tall man made motion to get closer to the old woman he couldn’t help it, his body moved on its own, he pushed the door open abruptly and before he could think he was already in front of the villain.

"Hey! G-Get away from her!"

“Izuku!” The tan-skinned elf burst into the room, stopping when he saw the scene, freezing in place.

“Run while you can! Warn them!” The old lady told them.

“We have intruders” The bad man said, his voice deep, pointing a finger to the greenette and Silvhen he snarled. “Slay the children”

The woman in white robes took this moment of distraction and slapped the glowing ball from the monster's hands, it rolled towards him, Izuku quickly went for it as the creature yelled him not to, as soon as he touched the ball it glowered brighter and all he could feel was a burning pain.

Once again he is consumed by darkness.


	2. The Left And Right Hand Of The Divine.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Izuku wakes up.
> 
> (I'm glad people liked this crossover, it may not have many people reading it but the few people who do, made me want to continue this story! Keep commenting please!)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter has yet to be beta read! If anyone wants to beta read it contact me!
> 
> [My Tumblr](https://ultra-bitchlord.tumblr.com/)  
>  **Please leave comments and kudos, tell me what you liked about the chapter, it helps me keep motivated to keep writing and to actually know if you guys are liking my work!**
> 
> \--------------
> 
> I have a Discord Server<https://discord.gg/7GC3puC> You guys can chat and share anything you like, I'll be warning when a chapter is coming up and posting some fanart from time to time.

Izuku woke up slowly, his body hurt all over and he felt vaguely dizzy. Blinking slowly he looked around, he was expecting to be at his home, that he was just having a weird dream, but no, he was again in a strange place.

He looked down at his hands, his chained up, he drew a sharp breath as something made his left hand burn, he was taken aback when he realized there was a bright green thing in his hand, it pulsed as if it were alive, sending waves shock by his hand.

'What is this?' he analyzed his hand curiously.

"Hey, shem!" A familiar voice called to him, coming from his right.

Izuku turned to look at the elf that was sitting on his right, also chained up, he was there when he tried to distract the monster that was holding the lady with a white tunic and strange hat.

"S-Silvhen? What happened?" He asked anxiously, looking around rapidly noticing that they were alone.

The white-haired one sighed with relief when he saw the greenish one awake and well. "I have no idea, by the creators, I know why Keeper Aedor calls me troublemaker now..." How does he manage to get himself in these situations? He just wanted to see the cute nugs!!

"I-I'm s-sorry, t-this is my f-fault" Izuku's eyes watered, he wanted to cry but he didn't want to be punished for being a crybaby so he swallowed a sob.

The elf was looking at him with a panicked look. "Hey! It's okay, I have no idea what was going on in the main hall, but it seemed like a bad situation" The boy said, his voice soft.

His eyebrows came together into a frown upon realizing that the freckled boy was fighting back tears. "You don't need to hold yourself from crying, you know” he said worriedly, recalling how the boy reacted when he tried to approach him.

Izuku looked at him startled, trying to find out if this was a trick to let his guard down.

Realizing the hesitation in the other's eyes, Silvhen tried to reassure him. "We may be chained and trapped in a dark cell, but at least is there no one here who will punish you for crying?" Mamae always said that he was terrible when he tried to comfort others, but at least he made an effort.

The dark-skinned elf startled when the other burst into tears, looking at him like he had just given him the permission to cry ... well it seems like he had? Wow, what had the shems done to this kid for him to think he needs permission to cry???

Silvhen being an elf managed to hear someone whispering on the other side of the door.

"Do you still think they are guilty Cassandra?" A female voice asked.

The other person's response was a low murmur that even he with his elf ears couldn’t make out anything out of it.

They opened the door abruptly, scaring the green-haired boy who stopped crying, he immediately stopped sobbing, but there was not much to do to hide the face of someone who just cried as if his life depended on it.

A woman wearing armor was scowling towards them, she seemed to be about to scream at them, but a look from the redheaded woman silenced her.

The redhead approached slowly like she was trying to approach a frightened animal, she crouched in front of Izuku with a soft smile. "My name is Leliana" She introduced herself before taking a key out of her pocket and removing the boy's handcuffs.

"Could you tell me your name and age?" She asked as the greenish boy trembled uncertainly, massaging his wrists.

He did not look the woman in the eye, afraid she would be irritated. "M-Midoriya Izuku"

Leliana arched a brow, she had never heard a name like that, maybe the boy was from somewhere in Thedas that they didn't know about? And that hair color was it natural? She squinted her eyes at the curly green hair, it does look natural.

Realizing that he didn't answer the second question he stuttered. "I-I'm fourteen"

"He is just a child ..." Cassandra murmured guiltily, they had chained up an infant. "Ugh" She grunted, this situation was starting to give her a headache, she turned to the elf who was staring at her. "State your name and age elf" She demanded.

The other teen rolled his eyes at her rude demeanor. "You shems are all the same" He said under his breath with earned a school from the seeker. "Silvhen from the Lavellan clan, I'm fifteen" His answer came out blunt.

Cassandra looked at the handcuffs with hatred before taking a key and opening it freeing the elf. "By the Maker, why would they take children to the conclave?" She wondered, Silvhen asked himself the same thing, he's sure the clan's Keeper only took him to see if he would finally take anything seriously.

"Everyone at the conclave is dead. Except for the two of you" Cassandra said when the two teens got up.

Silvhen's mouth became a hard line, his eyes went foggy for a moment. "So Keeper Aenor is dead ..." Ah, this is not good, Elena Lavellan is nowhere near completing her training as second in command and now she would have to become the new clan Keeper. He knew that going to the conclave was a bad decision, but Keeper Aenor said it was important to know if the conflict between Mages and Templars would be resolved. Stupid templars, stupid war.

"E-Everyone is de-dead? B-But how?" The greenette looked shocked and horrified at the same time, he probably never saw death in his life, he was probably sheltered from the world’s violence.

Leliana took a step backward to give them a bit of space, the greenette seemed like he was on the edge of having a panic attack. "The soldiers who found you said you came out of a rift ... They said a woman was in the rift behind you"

That sparked a memory from the strange boy, his eyes widening. "A-A woman?"

"Yes, do you remember anything before the explosion?" She asked softly.

Izuku stopped to think a little, remembering what happened. "There was this very tall man with red things coming out of his skin, he was surrounded by people in white and gray armor, they were using some kind of force to keep this lady in the air, the disfigured man had a ball that was emitting energy , when I caught his attention the lady hit his hand causing the ball to fall on the ground, I didn't think at the time and took the orb in my hand, after that I felt a horrible pain and woke up here .... I think that that man had this lady for some specific reason since she was the only one present in the hall beside the armored people, was she someone important? If yes I think he tried to use the orb to do something with her, I also believe that the energy orb may have given me this mark on my hand when I picked it up, possibly it could have been the cause of the explosion, which would have happened even if I hadn’t caught it, since it was pulsating with great energy" He went on with his muttering, trying to figure out how this world worked.

Everyone in the room was looking at him in shock, gaping at the amount of information provided in less than a minute.

Cassandra was the first to recover. "Most holy is dead, I can't believe this ..." She whispered, how can she have let that happen, this meeting between mages and templars was supposed to bring peace in Thedas, but instead, Divine Justinia was killed by a creature unknown and everyone who attended the conclave is dead.

Leliana's eyes were burning, whoever did this will pay for what they did, even if it is the last thing she does. "And from what he has described, it looks like the Gray Wardens were involved in this attack" She said, her tone full of hate, she remember perfectly how the Grey Warden’s armor looks like, her time with the Hero of Ferelden had it uses.

Izuku finally broke out from his thoughts at that. "I-I'm sorry, I-I tried to help, but ..." He looked down, he was just a quirkless Deku of course he just made things worse instead.

Leliana's eyes softened. "It's okay child, this isn't your fault" She smiled when that made the boy relax a little. "But we need your help, whatever that mark in your hand is connected to the rift, an apostate who had helped stabilize it has a theory that it may help close the breach"

He blinked confusedly, ignoring the fact that he had no idea what an apostate was he focused on the most important matter. "The breach?"

Cassandra opened the cell’s door motioning for them to follow. "It will be better if we show you" She turned to the red-headed. “Go to the forward camp, Leliana. I will take them to the rift”

They made their way outside the cell, as soon as they were out Izuku shuddered from how cold it was, he noticed with wide eyes that there was snow everywhere, he has never seen snow before! His attention from him was quickly caught when a strong energy pulsed through the sky, looking up and gapped at the big green hole in the sky.

“W-What is that?” He asked in awe, it was beautiful, probably dangerous since everyone was looking at it in horror, but really beautiful.

“That” Cassandra pointed at it before turning to look at him. “Is what we call the breach, it appeared in the sky after the explosion of the conclave”

The woman seemed to be about to say something but closed her mouth with a clank, she really doesn’t want to tell a child what the mark may be killing him.

The mark in the boy’s hand glowed and a jolt of pain went through his entire arm, he let out a whimper, clenching his arm tightly as he fell forward, fortunately, Cassandra and Silvhen caught him before he could plaster his face on the snow.

“The mark is ki-hurting you” The woman explained helping him to get up.

She received a glare from the white-haired elf who noticed what she was going to originally say, she glared back pointing to the scared freckled boy, they came to an understanding, but that didn’t wipe the worried expression from the elf’s face.

“We need to close it quickly before more demons come through” She pleaded to the child.

Izuku wiped the tears off with the back of his hand, demon? So this is truly a fantasy world, he knows little about this world set, he had read some storied and watched some D&D podcasts, but he was certainly not an expert on the matter, there was this game pre-quirk era that read about, but he knew little about it, but the game’s world reminds him of this one.

He looked up to the sky once more, that hole in the sky was dropping off demons, this was his chance to help people, to show he could be useful, meeting her eyes he gave her a determined look. “I’ll do whatever I can to help” Wow he even managed to not stutter this time!

The woman let out a sigh of relief at his words; she looked at the elf who was watching the conversation.

“What?” He asked annoyed.

Izuku looked at him with those big green eyes like he was a soaked kitten asking to be tucked into blankets and be adopted.

Silvhen was taken aback with the audacity of the teen using his cute face against him. “Are you fucking serious? By the creators! Fine! I’ll come with you, but not because you asked me to!” He blushed when the greenette gave him a huge smile, huffing he walked in front of them murmuring to himself about ‘how unfair’ he was being.

Cassandra was just happy that the kid had agreed to help, she would hate to force a child to do something against their will, she looked up to the sky, she only hopes this will works…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **Please leave comments and kudos, tell me what you liked about the chapter, it helps me keep motivated to keep writing and to actually know if you guys are liking my work!**


	3. Closing Rifts.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Closing rifts and fighting demons, also my kids being cute together.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter has yet to be beta read! If anyone wants to beta read it contact me!
> 
> [My Tumblr](https://ultra-bitchlord.tumblr.com/)  
>  **Please leave comments and kudos, tell me what you liked about the chapter, it helps me keep motivated to keep writing and to actually know if you guys are liking my work!**
> 
> \--------------
> 
> I have a Discord Server<https://discord.gg/7GC3puC> You guys can chat and share anything you like, I'll be warning when a chapter is coming up and posting some fanart from time to time.

Haven was filled with people, coming out of their tents to glare at the boy with green hair, a man who was about to throw a rock at him froze in place…literally, Izuku blinked in surprised, whoever had done that has his thanks, he had dealt with enough people throwing rocks at him on his world thank you very much.

“They have decided your guilt,” Cassandra explained as they walked, which earned a snarl from Silvhen she decided to ignore the feral teenager. “They need it. The people of Haven mourn our Most Holy, Divine Justinia, head of the Chantry. The Conclave was hers. It was a chance for peace between mages and templars. She brought their leaders together ... And now they are all dead. ” She glanced at Izuku sadly.

"I-I'm sorry" The boy said sadly.

The woman smiled slightly before turning her attention back to the road.

They cleared the first stronghold, Cassandra yelled for the gates to be opened. They trekked up the path in silence, until the greenette stopped in his tracks, noticing something in the sky while it approached the bridge, his eyes widened when he realized what it was. "Stay away from the bridge!!"

The seeker heard the tone of panic in his voice and fortunately took his warning seriously, she barked orders to the soldiers on the bridge to move away from it, after taking a couple of steps backward she also realized just as the last of the soldier stepped off the bridge the several pieces of flaming rock descended from the Breach above as it crashed into the bridge with full force.

Cassandra looked at him with a look of appreciation. "Good eyes Midoriya Izuku" She said in awe, that could have killed as much of them as the soldiers who were passing over the bridge.

"J-Just Izuku please" He said sighing; thankfully he was being paranoid and looking everywhere possible as they walked or he wouldn't have seen the meteor falling from the sky.

Cassandra nodded. "Okay, Izuku, let's continue" She carefully made her way down the rubble, the two adolescents right behind.

It was there that they realized that demons had just fallen to the meteor, Izuku never saw one like it, they had a figure made of lava and another looked like a set of meat wearing a helmet.

"Demons! Stay behind me!" The woman ordered, Cassandra unsheathed her weapon and charged towards the two demons, shield on her other hand.

The elf beside her made a noise of indignation. "As if! I'm not going to stay put to become demon's food" The boy from nowhere was invisible.

"Stay here and hide" Izuku heard Silvhen say from somewhere in front of him.

One of the demons was going towards him, the greenette didn't know how to fight, so he tried to get away from the creature, luckily something attacked the monster from behind with ice magic that froze the demon in place.

Silvhen came out from behind the creature, looking at Izuku with concern. "Are you okay?"

He nodded quickly, so the elf is a mage…the greenettes felt a little useless for not being able to do anything to protect himself.

A noise of something breaking caught the attention of the two, the demon managed to get rid of his cocoon of ice, he seemed to be irritated, turning against Silvhen who walked backward, his hands ready to cast another spell.

What caught Izuku's attention was a third demon coming from behind the elf, surrounding the boy who realized too late to be able to walk away, the greenette quickly looked around trying to find something to throw at the creature, his eyes stopped in an arc and arrow under some stones, he ran and took the bow.

He never held a bow in his life, but this was not the time to wrestle, he tried to position himself like the archers he saw in movies, picking up as close as possible, closing one eye, he focused on the lava demon, he was shaking nervously, Silvhen was attacking the other demon with ice spells, the lack of staff making him tired faster.

Izuku took a deep breath, he aimed at his target and hoped that whatever God exists in this world would help him at that moment. Taking his finger off the rope, the arrow passed the left side of the elf and directly hit the demon's bottom, he almost missed, a centimeter more to the left and the arrow would have passed straight, the impact stunned the creature for a while, long enough to Silvhen will kill the other demon and be able to focus on his next target.

With a cascade of ice, a stake of ice pierced the demon in the chest, killing him.

Cassandra, who had just slain the last Shade, ran to the two boys worriedly.

"Are you okay?" She asked Izuku directly who was trembling in a panic, the bow in his hands falling to the ground, he had tears in his eyes but he held back the crying, nodding to Seeker despite looking like he was about to faint, Cassandra relieved it with relief sighed before turning to the elf.

“What?”

“You’re a mage” She said through clenched teeth.

“Oh no, really? What gave me away, the ice coming out of my hands?” He blinked innocently but his tone was full of mockery.

“Ugh” She rolled her eyes exasperatedly, what a petulant child! “At least use a staff or else you’re going to get wary faster” She pointed out.

“Ugh, you sound like my Keeper” He murmured under his breath, letting out a sad sigh at remembering that Aedor was dead.

“And you” She turned back to Izuku who whimpered under her gaze. “I can tell you have never fought, keep the bow but do not trying to use it again, you may end up getting yourself hurt, I’ll get someone to teach you after we close the breach” If you survive went unsaid, she took something from her pouch and handed it to the two teens. “Here, take these potions, just in case you need it”

They proceeded to walk, the two boys only following the woman not knowing where exactly they were going.

Izuku felt uncomfortable with the silence, so he decided to ask something he had been thinking since the conclave. “H-How do you become invisible, is that a spell?” The freckled-boy asked, he made a motion to take his notebook to take notes and whined when he noticed that he didn’t have it on him in this world.

Silvhen arched a brow at the obvious excitement the boy expressed; he was practically vibrating while they walked. “Kind of?” He showed the ring on his right hand. “This is an enchanted ring, found it on a cave on the Exalted Plains” A cave that the Keeper had told him not to get in, he did have to run away from some tevinter mages and almost got eaten by a bear, buuuut it was totally worth it.

He noticed how the boy stared at the ring in fascination; he started muttering about how someone enchanted a ring and if it was limited to only mages. Smiling softly he took the ring off his finger, taking the other’s hands on his own he placed the ring on the palm of the greenette’s hand. “Until you learn to properly use a bow, use this to hide alright?” 

Izuku blinked in surprise, his big owl eyes sparking as he held the ring in his hand. “A-Are you s-sure?” He asked hesitantly. “W-What if y-you need it?”

“I can protect myself, take it, this way you can stay safe while we fight, don’t want anything happening to our favorite walking bush, do we?” He winked at the greenette who blushed slightly before nodding with a thankful smile putting the ring on his finger.

Cassandra was watching the scene with a small smile, she wanted to coo at them, but Seekers **_do not_** coo at adorable teens being cute with each other.

Hours of fighting demons led in the valley and following snowy embankments and the icy frozen river led them up a set of frozen stone stairs.

They came across some more demons, and the fights went in a similar fashion, Silvhen freezing the Shades, Cassandra charged at the demons as she used her sword and cleaved downward slicing into the demon’s body and then swirling around cutting the body in half.

Izuku kept hidden with his new acquire ring, he had no idea how it works but every time he panicked and thought of hiding he went invisible so that's something.

As they reached the snow-covered stairs, Cassandra sprinted even faster

They ran up them, "We're getting close to the rift! You can hear the fighting!" Cassandra called out.

Izuku did start to hear the fighting as he asked. "Who's fighting?"

They got to the top of the stairs, they saw the battle taking place between demons and the soldiers. There seemed to be a green crystal stuck in the air. Cassandra wanted to get down and help them.

"You'll see soon! We must help them!"

Both the Seeker and elf jumped off the ledge engaging in the fight, Izuku went invisible again, taking some rock from the ground he threw it at one demon who was about flank a bald elf, the demon screeched at the rock hit its head startling the apostate into attacking it.

An arrow bolt went through a demon's head as it died a ginger-haired dwarf stood holding an impressive crossbow, if they weren’t in the middle of a fight and he had his notebook in hands Izuku would have been bombing the dwarf with questions about it.

When the fight was over Izuku made himself visible again only to someone grab his marked hand and forced his hand up towards the green rift which caused a beam to shoot from his hand till an explosion forced him back.

"What did you do?" Izuku asked in awe.

The elf looked at him in surprise at how the boy was beaming at him, a strange reaction coming from a human, but again he was only a child...he can't believe his mark ended up with an innocent child. He looked away guilty, not able to meet the kid's eyes. "I did nothing, the credit is all yours"

As Izuku looked down to his hand curiously the elf continued. "Whatever magic opened the Breach in the sky has also placed that mark upon your hand." He flinched at his own words. "I theorized that the mark might be able to close the rifts in the Breach's wake and it seems I was correct." The elf still wouldn't look at the greenette.

Cassandra approached him throwing a glance at the child. "Meaning it could also close the Breach itself"

The elf nodded, "Possibly" Finally gathering the courage to look back at the child he meets the bigs green eyes. "It seems you hold the key to our salvation."

Izuku's eye widened at that, he felt a bit overwhelmed, he has always been the useless Deku in his world, and now he had some strange thing in his hand that could stop demons from being spit from these rifts.

But if he could help, then he would, helping people has been his dream since he was a child, so there wasn't' needed someone to convince him, he looked into the eyes of the bald elf with determination, something that made the man blink taken aback for a moment.

The dwarf from before approached them, his crossbow resting in his shoulder. "Good to know, here I thought we'd be ass deep in demons forever!"

The dwarf let out a yelp when Cassandra slapped him across the head. “Language!” She pointed to the two teens.

Silvhen rolled his eyes exaggeratedly while Izuku just blinked innocently.

"Alright alright!" He turned to look back at the two kids. "Varric Tethras, rogue, storyteller, occasionally unwelcome tag along!" He then winked to Cassandra who gave him a look of extreme annoyance.

Izuku giggled at their antics, his elf friend just stared at the dwarf, he looked he was trying to remember something when he did his eyes went wide. " ** _The_** Varric Tethras??"

Varric grinned widely bowing. "The one and only! You're a fan?"

Silvhen nodded excitedly. "I can't read but the Keeper told us stories about you and the Champion"

"Ah yes, my good old friend Hawke, wish he could be here" At the glare he received from the Seeker he continued. "Which would be impossible because **_I don't know_** where he is!!"

Cassandra looked at Varric irritatedly. "I brought you here to tell your story to the Divine, clearly that's no longer necessary."

"Yet here I'm!" The dwarf winked once again at the woman, who let out a disgusted noise.

Izuku was staring at Varric's crossbow with curiosity, though he wasn't sure if he should ask him anything about it, afraid that the man would get mad, noticing his hesitance Silvhen decided to speak out. "That's a nice crossbow you have there."

Varric shook his head with delight looking behind him. "Ah, isn't she? Bianca and I have been through a lot together" He caressed his crossbow like it was pet.

Izuku looked at him amusedly. "Y-You named y-your c-crossbow Bianca?"

Varric looked at him with a wide smile, "Of course and she'll be a great company in the valley."

Cassandra wouldn't hear of it. "Absolutely not! Your help was appreciated Varric bu-"

"But! Have you been to the valley lately Seeker? Your soldiers aren't in control anymore, you need me!" He gave her a smug smile, knowing he was right.

The two had a slight stare off before Cassandra left giving off a frustrated noise. She hated the smug bastard.

The male elf approached Izuku and Silvhen "My name is Solas if there are to be introductions. I am pleased to see you still live."

Varric shook his head with a smile "What he means is, I kept that mark from killing you while you slept."

Izuku blinked in surprise, the mark was killing him? He turned and smiled at Solas, he was thankful that someone watched over him, "T-Thank you!"

It made the elf's heart clench at how precious the kid was, to think he will die because of his mistake.

Cassandra watched the two, "Solas is an apostate"

The said elf looked at Cassandra with an arched brow. "Technically, all mages are now apostates Cassandra."

Izuku looked between them in confusion. "W-What is a-an ap-apostate?" He whimpered when everyone turned to look at him.

“You…you don’t know?” Cassandra asked confused.

“I don’t think he is from around here Seeker, have you seen his hair?” Varric covered for him noticing how uncomfortable the boy was with their attention, bless the man’s heart for this.

“Well…” Cassandra thought about it, the boy had strange hair color and unique features, his name wasn’t anything she had ever heard of, the dwarf must be right, though if where this kid lives mages walk around freely she is curious how he has never seem any violence until today.

Solas turned to Cassandra, "Cassandra, you should know, the magic involved is like any I've ever seen. Your prisoner is not a mage-"

Ah, what a boomer, not even in this word Izuku could have superpowers.

"-but I find it difficult for any mage to have any such power."

Cassandra nodded, "Understood."

Solas and Cassandra walked off "We must get to the forward camp quickly."

The two teens stood there watching the two walk-offs while Varric walked up from behind. "Well, Bianca's excited!"

They ran onto frozen ice fighting the demons, eventually, they made their way up a snow embankment with trees all around.

Cassandra looked around the dead bodies of demons "I hope Leliana made it through all this..."

Varric looked at her, giving her a reassuring smile. "She's resourceful Seeker." He said confidently.

Solas looked at them with his staff in hand "We'll see for ourselves in the forward camp. We're almost there"

When everyone was sure the demons were all dead they continued up the till towards the forward camp. They ran up a flight of stairs which led to the forward camp. At the gates, the soldiers were fighting more demons who had come from a rift. Izuku's hand had flared, Cassandra got her sword at the ready.

"Another rift!" Solas had his staff, "We must close it quickly!"

The soldiers begged for help as they barely managed to keep the demons at bay. After the demons were dead Izuku was able to seal the rift.

When the rift has been finally closed Cassandra yelled out to the guards "The rift is gone, open the gate!" The guards did as ordered,

Solas sighed in relief "We are clear for the moment"

They headed toward the gate.

"Well done greeny" Varric was impressed "Whatever that thing is on your hand, it's useful!" He reached out to shuffle the boy's fluffy hair who leaned into the touch letting out a content sigh.

Varric arched a brow, the kid looked touch-starved if a simple hair shuffle got that reaction, he wonders how was the boy's situation before all this.

The gates opened revealing the camp to be on yet another bridge. Silvhen and the others ran across it seeing Leliana with a man in high official Chantry robes. They seemed to be discussing something and they weren't getting along. The man looked up from the table they were at.

"Ah, here they come!" Leliana moved from behind the desk to greet them all "You made it!" she turned her head at the others "Chancellor Roderick this is..."

He stopped her unimpressed "I know who he is!"

Roderick looked at him coldly before blinking in surprise, right in front of him was the supposed culprit of exploding the conclave, a child with green hair and big green eyes, and he looked like the embodiment of innocence. "Wait he is a child!?" He turned abruptly to look at Leliana who was looking at him with an 'I told you so' look.

"By the maker...." He whispered.

Cassandra gave Roderick a surprised look, she expected the man to make a fuss about it, but....she looked at the small teen that was looking between them confusedly, she can see why he couldn't bring himself to.

Roderick sighed "Call a retreat now Seeker, our position now is hopeless.

The woman stared at him she wouldn't accept it "We can stop this now before it's too late!"

Roderick held up his hands looking unconvinced. "How? You won't survive long enough to reach the temple, even with all your soldiers."

Cassandra looked at him determined "We must reach the Temple it's the quickest route!"

Leliana looked at her like she was about to talk to a child. "But not the safest, our forces can charge as a distraction" She pointed to the mountain "While we go through the mountains"

Both Izuku and Silvhen looked at mountains as the snow fell, Cassandra shook her head at Leliana "We lost contact with an entire squad on that path, it too risky!"

Roderick looked at them shaking his head slightly. "Listen to me! Abandon this now, before more lives are lost!"

Suddenly the earth shook and the Breach roared in anger. Izuku's hand glowed fiercely as he struggled to hold onto it with his other hand. Everyone looked at him, Cassandra approached the boy. "How do you think we should proceed?"

Izuku thought about it, there was a chance that the soldier may have survived and he couldn’t bring himself to not try saving them, he looked up to the woman with a determined look. “W-We go t-through the m-mountains!”

Varri gave him an approving nod, the Seeker seemed a bit disappointed but she didn’t argue.

He hopes that he did the right decision…

Bonus art made by me! This is how Silvhen Lavellan looks like! (yes it's a boy I'm just bad at drawing males X"D)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **Please leave comments and kudos, tell me what you liked about the chapter, it helps me keep motivated to keep writing and to actually know if you guys are liking my work!**


	4. The Breach.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The companions find out something about their walking bush.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter has yet to be beta read! If anyone wants to beta read it contact me!
> 
> [My Tumblr](https://ultra-bitchlord.tumblr.com/)  
>  **Please leave comments and kudos, tell me what you liked about the chapter, it helps me keep motivated to keep writing and to actually know if you guys are liking my work!**
> 
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It wasn’t long until they came across the bodies of the missing scouts, Izuku gasped in horror, demons are one thing but seeing dead people made him want to vomit, Silvhen grasped his hand pulling closer to him, he was looking at him with an understanding smile.

“That cannot be all of them,” Cassandra said examining the bodies, she looked distressed.

“So the others could be up ahead” Varric reasoned, the always optimist dwarf.

The woman nodded determinedly. “You’re right, we should hurry.”

They broke into a run, Silvhen not leaving Izuku's hand.

“Our priority must be the Breach,” Solas interjected. “Unless we seal it soon, no one is safe.”

“I’m leaving that to our greeny friend here.” Varric said amusedly.

It didn't take too long for them to find the rest of the surviving soldiers, they were fighting Terror demons behind another rift.

Izuku and Silvhen exchanged a look, they nodded in understanding, the elf let go of his hand and prepared to shoot an ice spell to freeze the terror demon for Cassandra while the greenette used the ring to become invisible and use the mark on the rift.

It seems like if he uses the mark while they fight the demons, that weakens the creatures, so it didn't take too long for the fight to be over, he raised his hand once again and focused on closing the rift.

“Sealed, as before,” Solas said, giving him a slight smile as the rift closed. “You are becoming quite proficient at this.”

“Let’s hope it works on the big one” Varric quipped.

“Thank the Maker you finally arrived, Lady Cassandra,” One of the scouts said, drawing their attention. “I don’t think we could’ve held out much longer.”

“Thank our priso-uh, the child, Lieutenant,” Cassandra said, turning to look at him “He insisted we come this way.” She said thankfully.

The scout blinked taken aback, the prisoner was a child? She thought people were exaggerating, she watched as the strange boy with green hair waved his hand shyly from behind an elf boy. She saluted him the Ferelden way giving him a gentle smile; there is no way that this kid was the person who exploded the conclave. “You have my sincere gratitude”

Izuku blushed slightly, feeling a bit overwhelmed as the other scouts also saluted him, he was glad they managed to save them.

“The path we came from is clear” The elf boy pointed to the route they came from.

Cassandra nodded “He is right, go while you can” She urged.

“At once!” The scout said before barking orders at the other scouts and they were off.

Traversing the mountain path ended up being the right choice, in the end. Not only did they save a group of stranded scouts and soldiers, but they had also managed to close a rift on the way.

“The path ahead seems to be clear of demons as well” Solas pointed out.

“Let’s hurry, before that changes,” Cassandra said. “Down the ladder, that’s the way into the Temple.”

They all proceeded to make their way down, once everyone was once again stepping on snow they continued towards the Breach’s direction.

“So… holes in the Fade don’t just accidentally happen right?” Varric asked.

Solas hummed thoughtfully.“If enough magic is brought to bear in one location, it is possible.”

“But there are easier ways to make things explode,” The dwarf suggested.

The bald elf laughed grimly. “Much easier ways, my friend”

“I’m glad we’re of the same mind here, Chuckles,” Varric supplied facetiously.

Izuku felt like these two were talking more than about this particular explosion, maybe this had happened before?

They lapsed into silence once more and met no further resistance as they traversed the narrow path. Eventually, they came to an area of charred rubble and freshly collapsed walls. Moving further in, Izuku could see bodies everywhere, too many to count. They were all charred and frozen in place, some on their knees, some covering their faces, and some cowering behind walls. They were all emaciated and charred black, like some grim art piece, he fought the urge to throw up, but couldn’t stop the tears that fell on his cheeks.

Silvhen took his hand on his own once again. "Close your eye I'll guide you" he said softly, Izuku complied, squeezing his eyes shut and letting the elf drag him along, he doesn’t know if he will ever get used to seeing so many people dead.

“The Temple of Sacred Ashes” Solas declared.

“What’s left of it” Varric murmured grimly.

Cassandra appeared next to Izuku, looking to an area that may have once been a courtyard, now charred and blasted. “That is where you and Silvhen walked out the Fade and our soldiers found you. They said a woman was in the rift behind you both, but no one knows who she was”

“You’re here!” Leliana said, relief evident in her voice. “Thank the Maker.”

Izuku finally opened his eyes again, his eyes were still wet from the tears, Silvhen wiped them off with the back of his hand, caressing his cheek before pulling his hand away like he had been burned, the white-haired boy looked away slightly embarrassed at what he did, Izuku was oblivious to his friend’s reaction, his eyes focusing of the breach.

Cassandra nodded in agreement. “Leliana” She said “Have your men take up position around the Temple, we are going down”

Leliana nodded once, giving the greenette a soft smile before leaving.

“This is your chance to end this,” Cassandra said. “Are you ready?”

Izuku took a deep breath, this is it, he was going to help all these people no matter what it takes, giving her a determined look he nodded, he frowned at the sad look the woman gave to him, it feels like she was hiding something from him.

“This rift was the first,” Solas said catching his attention. “It is the key. Seal it, and perhaps we seal the Breach.”

Cassandra nodded, trying not to think about the high possibility of the child dying after closing it. “Then let’s be done with it"

They stepped forwards and a voice boomed out from beyond the fade.

**“Now is the hour of our victory. Bring forth the sacrifice.”**

“What are we hearing?” Cassandra breathed out.

“At a guess? The person who created the Breach,” Solas answered.

They continued walking, Izuku saw some red crystals coming out of the walls, it looked like the things that were coming out from the man he saw at the conclave, he got closer, the thing whispering in his head to touch it.

Varric and Silvhen stopped him before he could lie a hand on it. "Don't touch it! It's red lyrium!" The dwarf said panicked.

The voices stopped and the greenette blinked away the fogginess that was consuming him. "I-I, what happened? I h-heard voices"

Varric frowned at what he said. "That is what red lyrium does, it makes you go insane keep away from it"

Both he and Silvhen were looking at the freckled boy worriedly, hoping that the red lyrium hasn't done anything to his mind, sometimes just by being close it was enough to make people go crazy.

"S-Sorry, I-I didn't k-know" Izuku apologized quickly.

"It's okay greeny, just stay away from it next time, alright?" Varric sighed in relief at the nod he received.

Voices rang out once more from the ether.

**“Keep the sacrifice still.”**

Izuku startled at the voice, that was what he heard before he stormed into the main hall.

**“Someone, help me!”**

**"Hey! G-Get away from her!"**

**"Izuku!"**

Izuku's and Silvhen's voice came from the rift.

“It's like you said” Cassandra trailed off; at least the kid was telling them the truth.

The rift expanded a bit and we saw a green, shadowy version of the events. Probably memories from the fade slowly leaking to the real world through the rip in the veil, a human child and an elf walked upon the scene.

**"Hey! G-Get away from her!"**

**“Run while you can, warn them!”**

**“We have intruders. Slay the children!"**

There was a bright flash and the memory faded.

Cassandra turned to look at Solas "Is this a vision of the past?”

“Echoes of what happened here” Solas theorized from the sidelines. “The fade bleeds into this place.”

They walked to him as he glared at the breach.

“This rift is not sealed, but it is closed” Solas continued, turning to face the four of them “Albeit temporarily. I believe that with the mark the rift can be opened, then sealed properly and safely. However, opening the rift will likely attract attention from the other side.”

“That means demons! Stand ready!" The Seeker unsheltered her sword, taking her shield with her other hand she was ready to fight.

Sola explained to Izuku how he should use his mark to open the big rift, when he opened the rift a big Pride demon came out of it, he seemed to have a shield around him that repelled their attacks. 

Izuku thought about earlier when he used his mark to make the demons weak. “I-I'll disrupt the rift! T-That will leave the d-demon defenseless! T-Take care of the smaller demons, p-please!" He shouted, the three adults turned to him and seemed to hesitate but ended up nodding and doing what he asked.

As the others battle against the demons Izuku stayed close to the rift, it took a couple of times of disrupting the rift so they could kill the Pride demon, but they finally did it

“Now, seal the rift!” Cassandra yelled. “Do it!”

He reached and pulled, he whimpered at the sudden pain that went through his arms, this was hurt so much, what it because the breach was bigger? He felt it growing bigger and bigger, and the tugging became stronger and stronger, and it was going up....

It exploded and he went down, a throbbing pain in his hand as he was consumed by darkness once more time, it seems like passing out will be a current thing with him.

* * *

“ _He will recover, the rift simply took a great deal of energy from the child. I anticipate he will awaken in a few days,” Solas declared. “Wait, what are thos-‘_

_"By the maker, there are so many bruises!"_

_"I don't think they came from when he fell from the rift" Solas said worriedly._

_"What do you mean?"_

_"He seemed very afraid of everything when I met him at the conclave, thought I was going to hit him when I approached" That was Silvhen's voice._

_"He got afraid when I shouted" Cassandra pointed out._

_"He has broken ribs and burns marks all over his body...”_

_"Andraste's tits who did this to him? "Varric said horrified._

_“I don’t know, but there are some scars that seemed to be self-inflicted”_

_“We need to question greeny about this when he wakes up”_

* * *

Izuku woke up groggily, it felt like he had hit his head really hard, looking around he found himself in a cabin alone, where is he? Did he close the rift?

He startled when the door opened and a slim elf woman entered the room, when she realized he was awake she gasped dropping the box she was carrying on the floor.

"Oh y-you've awoken!" The poor woman stuttered afraid for her life.

Izuku sat up on the bed, the elf backed up, "I didn't know you were awake, I swear!"Why was she afraid?

He looked at her confused, "W-Why a-are you a-afraid?"

The elf looked at him meekly, "That's wrong isn't it, I said the wrong thing!" She panicked, she doesn't want to be punished! 

The greenette was now more confused than ever, "I-I...don't t-think so?"

The woman dropped to her knees on all fours lowering her head, "I beg your forgiveness and blessing, I am but a humble servant."

Izuku blinked surprised by the reaction he got up from the bed and slowly made his way towards the woman, she flinched as he got closer but he continued, extending a hand to her the elf looked up to him confused.

She was shocked to see him looking at her with such worry, no human has ever looked at her like that, they mostly snarl at her or give her disgusted looks for being a 'knife ear'.

"A-Are y-you okay?" The boy asked worriedly.

The elf woman took his hand hesitantly and got up, examing the child in front of her she came to the conclusion that he doesn't seem so bad, maybe it was because he was still a kid, still innocent, whoever raised him never taught him about hating elves.

"I-I'm fine, forgive me" She was about to bow but the panicked look on the kid's face made her stop.

"I-It's okay, c-can you tell me w-what ha-happened?" He asked nervously.

"You are back in Haven my lord. They say you saved us. They say the Breach stopped growing just like the mark on your hand!" The elf explained.

Izuku looked at his hand which flared up, the elf looked at him. "It's all anyone has talked about for the last three days!"

The greenette's eye went side, he was surprised, three days? Wow. He'd been out for three days but more importantly "S-So what you're s-saying is that...they are happy with me?"

The elf wasn't sure what to say, but seeing the anxious boy looking at her with puppy eyes made her heart clench. "The breach is still in the sky but it's no longer spiting demons, I'm certain Lady Cassandra would like to know you have awakened" She said softly.

The boy seemed frustrated that he didn't make the breach go away, he looked at the woman "A-And w-where is she?"

"In the Chantry, with the Lord Chancellor" She analyzed his tense posture, he seemed afraid? Does he think they will be mad at him? Her expression softened. "You can take your time to look around heaven before meeting them if you wish"

"I-I'd like that, t-thank you" He gave her a big smile.

She blinked surprised; alright this kid was too adorable she feels silly for acting so afraid earlier. She gave him a smile of her own. "Of course my lord, I'll be leaving, for now, I need to go back to work" When she received a nod she turned to leave but the boy spoke up.

"W-Wait, what is in t-the box?"

"Oh! There are some food and materials inside" She explained.

"Y-you can k-keep them"

She did a double-take. "What?"

"Y-You look like you n-need it more t-than me" He said looking down nervously.

The woman opened her mouth and closed it several times, she didn't know what to say, she felt a warm feeling in her chest. "Thank you!" She blurted out; the food in that box could feed her for a week! She picked up the box quickly, bowing to the greenette before leaving the room.

Izuku stared at where the elf woman disappeared; he let out a sigh, why did she act like she expected him to hit her earlier? It made his stomach turn; maybe the elves in this world were mistreated? But why? He frowned deep in thought.

“You’re awake”

The greenette yelped, he was so lost in thought that he didn’t hear someone entering the cabin, he looked up, Silvhen was looking at him with an arched brow.

“Sorry didn’t mean to startle you” And that was a lie as he noticed the twitching smile on the elf’s face, why people like startling him so much?

Izuku sighed. “I-It’s okay”

The elf chuckled; he eyed the greenette for a moment before he scowled. “I need to question you about something…” He looked away uncomfortable.

The freckled boy tilted his head to the side, which was adorable if anyone asked Silvhen.

“W-What is i-it?”

Taking a deep breath the elf looked into his eyes, his expression serious. “Before all this happened…were you safe at home?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **Please leave comments and kudos, tell me what you liked about the chapter, it helps me keep motivated to keep writing and to actually know if you guys are liking my work!**


	5. The Truth And Dealing With Racism.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Izuku tells Silvhen the truth and discovers racism in Thedas. 
> 
> \----
> 
> Soooo, your thoughts? Please comment your thoughts on the chapter it keeps me motivated to keep writing!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter has yet to be beta read! If anyone wants to beta read it contact me!
> 
> [My Tumblr](https://ultra-bitchlord.tumblr.com/)  
>  **Please leave comments and kudos, tell me what you liked about the chapter, it helps me keep motivated to keep writing and to actually know if you guys are liking my work!**
> 
> \--------------
> 
> I have a Discord Server<https://discord.gg/7GC3puC> You guys can chat and share anything you like, I'll be warning when a chapter is coming up and posting some fanart from time to time.

Cassandra, Solas, Varric, and Silvhen had discussed Izuku’s situation, the bruises, scars were all over his body, the broken ribs were something old, which means that the boy had never had his injuries treated, some burns seem to be eight years old…it all pointed to an abusive family and a terrible living environment if he expects anyone to hit him.

They discussed it with the Spymaster Leliana and the other two advisors Josephine and Cullen, the latter one was still suspicious of Izuku which pissed Silvhen off, shems can’t see someone looking different that they want to put the person into a cell and poke them to see if they will turn into an abomination.

The moment he was alone with Izuku he didn't beat around the bush and got right to the point.

The greenette went still, eyes frozen open as he looked up to the male elf, he couldn’t bring himself to respond, how did they found out? Were they mad at him?

"Be honest with me, everyone is worried about you. After you passed out Solas went to heal you and we found a lot of bruises, burns, and scars on you" Silvhen's voice was full of worry.

Izuku looked down, eyes foggy, he doesn't understand why people here have been treating him so well, neither why they worry about him, was it because he was useful to them? Ah, that makes sense.

"I-It's o-okay, it's nothing t-that will interfere with me helping to close the breach" He gave him a strained smile.

That seemed to be the wrong answer since the elf was looking at him now like he had just been hurt.

"You-what, by the creators! We are not worried about you because you have the mark!" The elf said exasperatedly, why would the boy think that? Ugh, he must have been through a lot of shit if people worrying for him make him think that they just want him to be functional.

The elf cupped the greenette’s head between his hands giving him a stern look. “Listen, I don’t know you for a long time, we literally know each other for a day, but you’ve been the only human to treat me with respect my entire life and you seem like a nice person, also, you’re a kid just like me, I get hurt because I train with my clan, but you don’t even know how to fight! So yeah, we are worried, **I** am worried about you, can you….can you just trust me, please? I don’t like the thought about someone hurting you” Call him sentimental but he go attached to the strange freckled boy pretty quickly, he was so endearing.

Izuku looked at him unsure, it's been a while since someone pretended to care for him just for shit and giggles, and mother did that a lot before ceasing to talking to him entirely. But Silvhen has been nothing but nice towards him, even with him not being a mage or being good at fighting, maybe this time it's true?

At least if the other turns out to be messing with him he won't be shaken by it, he was already used to it. "A-Alright, I trust you" Will he believe what he is about to tell? He doesn’t know enough about this world to make up a lie.

Satisfied Silvhen let go of him, though he was hesitant about it, the freckled boy’s skin was so soft…

"F-First of all I am not from this world" Izuku said waiting for the reaction of the other.

Silvhen didn’t expect this to be his answer, for a moment he said nothing expecting the teen to just laugh and say he was joking but the nervousness emitting from the anxious boy told him that he was serious. 

Biting the inside of his cheek he nodded hesitantly. "Alright, continue"

"I-I came from a w-world that everyone h-has what is called 'quirks'. P-People have different powers, f-from firing their mouths, s-superhuman strength, to people with mutations like the b-body or head of animals"

"I-It is rare for someone to not h-have powers in my world, but unfortunately I was born q-quirkless, everyone is disgusted by p-people like me, when they d-discovered that I had no powers they all started to ignore or b-beat me, my mother was n-no exception. She tried to k-kill me several times just for c-crying when I came b-back home with i-injuries, I-I haven't heard her voice since I was f-four" Izuku finally finished, he was looking down fiddling with his fingers.

When he looked up he was met with a thoughtful expression splattered on the elf’s face.

“Okay, that…that’s a lot” The dark-skinned teen murmured.

Silvhen was good at reading people, something he had to learn when he was a slave to avoid being whipped, so he was really surprised when the boy’s expression didn’t give anything away, either he is a really good liar, or he was telling the truth…and if everything he said was true then…he clenched his fits at his side frowning at how the boy was treated on his world, it was like the situation with Templars and Mages but reversed, if you didn’t have a power you were viewed as weak and people would look down on you...while in Thedas is you had magic you were feared and hunted down.

It seems like even in other worlds humans were still assholes, he can’t believe Izuku’s own mother would treat him that way, he was so sweet and nice, and he wonders how the boy didn’t break or became blind with hatred.

“How did you end up here in Thedas?” He decided to ask trying to push down his anger.

Izuku sighed, relaxing a bit when the other didn’t just call him a liar. "W-When I died I saw this bright woman in an e-empty space, she s-said that my presence would b-be needed here ... t-then I-I woke up at the conclave"

Taken aback the elf’s eyes went wide. "Wait, you died in your world? How?" The elf asked startled, he is so young! In Thedas children hardly died, even kids who were mages weren’t killed, they would actually be sent to a Circle and be protected, the only way a child would die would be from an illness or if they got caught in the war with the darkspawn.

"Ah" Izuku looked away feeling nervous. "I-I didn't have a r-reason to stay in t-that world and I was t-tired of how I-I was being treated so I-I ..." He couldn't continue.

"Did you ... did you kill yourself?" Silvhen asked in horror.

"... y-yes, i-it's not like a-anyone will care that I-I died" The greenette gave him a strained smile, tears gathering at the edge of his eyes.

“I would…” The elf whispered softly, he took the greenette’s hand on his. “Promise you won’t do that again and no, I’m not asking you this because we need your mark, I’m asking this as someone who cares for you”

Izuku nodded, his lips trembling, it felt nice to have someone who cared about you, he hasn’t felt like this since his father left “D-Does that m-mean you b-believe i-in me?”

“To be honest? I do, it’s too ridiculous to be a lie you came up with” The elf sighed. “We will need to tell the advisors about it though so that they can come up with a background story for you, people here tend to search someone’s past if they are suspicious about them, and no offense, your hair is cute and all by having green hair has people already on edge ”

Izuku didn’t like the idea of telling more people about it, what if they don’t believe him? Silvhen trusting him was already a miracle, the greenette didn’t trust adults, all of the adults in his life hurt him or didn’t believe in him when tried to ask for help with his home-life situation...

Before he could give it any further thought, he startled when someone knocked on the door, his elf friend didn’t seem fazed by it, only telling whoever was behind the door to come in.

Izuku’s eye went wide when the person came in, he was gaping at the tall grey woman with horns, she looked so cool! He saw some people like that at the conclave, were they from some race? They’re so big!

The grey-skinned lady saluted him. “I’m Herah Adaar I was assigned to be your guardian from now on, It’s a pleasure to make your acquaintance Lord Herald” The woman with horns said saluting him.

When everything she received as a response was more surprised staring she chuckled. “Never have seen a Qunari before I take it?”

The boy blushed at realizing how he had reacted. “N-No, y-you are so beautiful” He said shyly.

Adaar was taken aback by that, usually, kids would point at her and call her an ugly oxen woman, she has been getting used to all the stares she was receiving at Haven, the humans didn’t even have the decency to disguise it when they’re talking about why Lady Josephine could let a brute like her work here in Haven.

Humans have always been the most racist race in Thedas, they call elves knife ears and take them as slaves, they treat dwarfs like they were not worth their time, and they feared the Qunari, calling them savages beasts, not even the human children would treat them as people, the parents teaching their kids earlier that anyone one who wasn’t human was to be feared and that they should not be respected.

So yeah, it surprised her to hear the Herald of Andraste said something nice to her, she heard that they didn’t find his parent’s bodies at the conclave, so either his parents were ones of the little humans who were good or he is an orphan and had no one to teach him.

“O-Oh what you mean t-that you’re going to be my g-guardian?” The anxious ball that the boy was asked curiously.

That broke her off from her thoughts. “Ah, I’ll be responsible for you since they couldn’t find your parents, yet” She eyed him carefully when he flinched at the mentions of his parents, abusive family perhaps? “If you wish to ask for another guardian I’ll understand”

“W-What? W-Why?” Izuku asked genuinely confused which surprised her once again.

“You’re the Herald of Andraste, you being associated with a Qunari may damage your reputation” She explained watching as the boy frowned, she didn’t even know why Sister Leliana would assign her with the task; it was like she wanted to cause chaos around Haven.

“B-But you s-sound so n-nice!”

Oh, sweet innocent child, she smiled softly. “Well, I’m honored, Lord Herald”

“J-Just call m-me I-Izuku, p-please?” He didn’t even know what Herald of Andraste means.

Herah Adaar chuckled softly. “Alright, Izuku” She reached out to shuffle his hair, she was amused when the boy leaned into the touch, she caught the elf boy staring at her with a pout, grinning to herself she thought ‘seems like someone is jealous~’ kids are so adorable.

“Now Izuku, I have been asked to escort you to the Chantry, are you ready?” She extended her hand to him, he shyly took her hand approaching her. 

The boy looked at the elf teen who nodded and went to his side.

When she opened the door Izuku gasped at seeing so many people outside looking at him, they were all saluting him and calling him the Herald of Andraste, he had no idea what that means but he felt like they were kind of worshiping him and that made him feel extremely overwhelmed.

“Is that the Herald?” Someone in the crowd said while they walked past them

“Yes, they say he stopped the hole in the sky from growing bigger”

“Why is there a knife ear and an oxen woman with him?”

“I don’t know but they shouldn’t let those beasts near the Herald of Andraste”

Izuku frowned confusedly, ‘knife ear’ and ‘oxen woman’? What were they talking about? He looked at Silvhen and Adaar who looked very uncomfortable and noticed that those people were referring to them, he rarely got angry but this made his blood boil, what made him snap was when this man who took a rock in his hands and threw it at Adaar who didn’t even flinch, like she was used to this receiving this treatment, another person was about to throw a rock at Silvhen when Izuku stepped in front of it.

The crowd gasped as the rock hit his head, blood falling on his cheek from how strong the rock was thrown, the man who threw it looked horrified that he had hit him, Adaar unsheltered her sword snarling at the crowd, the soldiers following her lead ready to fight.

Silvhen was at his side in a second, looking at him in distress. “Why would you do that?” He asked troubled.

“T-They w-were going to h-hurt you…” The greenette said frowning, flinching at the jolt of pain from his head.

The elf scowled, he was touched really, but he wished his friend didn't have gotten hurt because of him, he quickly brought his hands up and used an ice spell on the other boy’s head injury. Izuku flinched but didn’t stop him. “I need to learn how to do healing spells” The elf muttered worriedly.

While they were at it, the soldiers and Adaar had apprehended the man who had thrown the rock, pleading for his life, asking for forgiveness.

“I-I’m so sorry Lord Herald I wasn’t aiming it towards you!” The man bowed, his head almost touching the snow-covered floor.

Izuku turned to look at the man angrily; the crowd was quiet listening in. “W-Why would you attack them?”

The man blinked taken aback. “I-I, b-because I-”

“Because they are from another race?” Izuku managed to say without stuttering, he was just too angry to even notice.

“M-My Lord you must underst-“

“Well, I don’t!” Izuku looked around, meeting the crowd’s surprised faces. “I hate racism” he said coolly making them flinch.

He didn’t wait for an answer; he grabbed his elf friend’s hand and dragged him out of view, the elf was stunned by what just happened but felt a warmth on his chest at the greenette protecting him and holding his hand, Adaar followed them and let the soldiers deal with the man. They made their way to the front of the chantry and stopped when Solas approached them.

The male elf frowned at seeing the blood on the boy’s face. “I saw what transpired, let me heal you” He wouldn’t be able to heal it fully since he had spent most of his mana healing other injured people, but he could come back later to heal the child fully. 

Silvhen let out a sigh of relief at that; he couldn’t do much but stop the bleeding.

“Why did you step in the way?” The bald elf asked truly curious as he used a healing spell closing the wound but leaving a pink scar on the boy’s forehead.

Izuku looked at him confusedly. “W-Why wouldn’t I? T-They were hurting them!”

“That was to be expected from humans, they do not like my kind, or any other race to be honest” The bald elf explained bitterly.

“Why?”

A simple question made Solas blink in surprise; he glanced at Lady Adaar who shrugged with a soft smile.

Silvhen sighed softly. “Things are just this way Izuku”

“B-But that’s not fair!”

“Life isn’t fair kiddo” Herah shuffled his hair, snorting when the boy pouted angrily. “Now c’mon, we are needed at the chantry green bit”

Solas watched after the trio curiously, the boy has been proving to be very different from the others of his kind, he was still pure and innocent, that didn’t help alleviate his guilt, his mark was killing the child slowly, he needs to find a way of taking it back without it resulting on the child’s death…

* * *

Izuku, SIlvhen and Adaar entered the Chantry and could hear Roderick and Cassandra arguing, while both teens walked it, Herah stayed behind to guard the door.

The greenette entered the room; it had a huge table rectangular table in the middle covered in books and maps. Bookshelves lined the walls as did other tables against them. Candles lit everywhere since there was no source of natural light.

Roderick looked at Izuku softly. "Ah there he is"

Cassandra looked at the Templars who were guarding the door. "Leave us" The Templars saluted before they left.

Roderick gave Cassandra a knowing look."Are you sure about this Lady Seeker?"

Cassandra approached him. "The Breach is stable but still remains a threat! I will not ignore that!"

Leliana walked up to them "Someone was behind the explosion at the conclave, someone Most Holy did not expect" The read-headed looked at Cassandra, "Perhaps they died with the others" She then looked at Roderick "Or have allies who yet live"

Cassandra looked at Izuku as she then walked off for a moment retrieving something. Leliana looked at them, "The Breach remains and your mark still our only hope of closing it."

Roderick looked at Leliana with his arms still folded, then lowering them "I'm afraid I have to agree" the man let out a defeated sigh.

Cassandra came back with a very big thick book in her hands. She slammed it on the table, it had the Chantry symbol on the front of it. She looked at Roderick pointing to the book. "This is a writ from the Divine, granting us the authority to act. As of this moment, I declare the Inquisition reborn"

The Seeker approached Roderick who nodded. "We will close the Breach, we will find those responsible and we will restore order." She was poking him in the chest "With or without your approval"

Roderick shook his head. "If you think this is or the best...but do not expect others to agree so easily, you walk a fine line Cassandra" He said before leaving the room.

Leliana looked at Izuku "This is the Divine's directive, rebuild the Inquisition of old, find those who will fight against the chaos. We aren't ready; we have no leader, no numbers, and now no Chantry support."

The Seeker looked at Leliana, "But we have no choice, we must act now!" She looked at the greenette "With you at our side" she said with a pleading look.

"O-Of course! I-If you are t-truly trying to r-restore order."

Leliana looked at him softly. "That is the plan"

Cassandra held out her hand. "Help us fix this before it’s too late"

Izuku timidly shook Cassandra's hand.

The two women turned to look at Silvhen who was looking at his nails dismissively; he turned to them when he felt their gaze upon him.

“What?”

Cassandra held herself from the urge of rolling her eyes, does the elf pays attention to anything or take anything seriously?

“We have contacted your clan, they…are not happy that we have you here” Leliana said.

The elf blinked slowly, trying to let the words sink in. “Ah yes, they hate shems a lot” He groaned. “I’ll talk to them, but regardless of them giving me permission or not I’ll be staying to help”

“I thought the keeper had a say if the young ones of the clan tried to rebel” The red-headed arched brow surprised by how the boy acted differently from the dalish.

“Oh she has but they don’t care much about me, you see I’m have been with the clan only for the past two years before that I was a Tevinter slave, they don’t like taking in elves that aren’t dalish, the only reason they let me stay was because Keeper Aedor pitied me, now that he is dead though…” He shrugged.

Well, that was troubling, her eyes darkened she will make sure to find those slavers. “I see, you’re welcome to stay in Haven Silvhen” Leliana said with a smile, she has been taking elves in since she became the left hand of Divine Justinia, her time with the Hero of Ferelden opened her eyes to how badly they treat elves and the other races, she aimed to change that, Justinia thought so too, they had planned to open the Chantry to every race being them being mages or not, after all, they are all creations of the Maker, but now that the Divine is dead, that plan will have to wait until the next Divine is chosen. 

“I’ll go talk to the new keeper, won’t take too long” The elf said tiredly, already knowing that the conversation wasn’t going to end well.

AS his friend left the room the red-headed woman addressed something she had noticed when the greenette had walked in. “Oh, Izuku, I’ve noticed you have a head injury, did the healers forgot to heal it?” Leliana said frowning worriedly.

“O-Oh” Izuku smiled innocently. “S-Someone threw a rock at Silvhen so I stepped in the way”

One could feel the anger of the Spymaster through Haven that day, they all shuddered in fear.

No need to say that those who threw the rocks and those who called both Silvhen and Adaar slurs disappeared in the middle of the night never again to be seen.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **Please leave comments and kudos, tell me what you liked about the chapter, it helps me keep motivated to keep writing and to actually know if you guys are liking my work!**


	6. Crushes, Helping People and BEARS!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Silvhen and Izuku being adorable together, the adults make fun of Silvhen and there are bears!
> 
> \------
> 
> Soooo, your thoughts? Please comment your thoughts on the chapter it keeps me motivated to keep writing!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter has yet to be beta read! If anyone wants to beta read it contact me!
> 
> [My Tumblr](https://ultra-bitchlord.tumblr.com/)  
>  **Please leave comments and kudos, tell me what you liked about the chapter, it helps me keep motivated to keep writing and to actually know if you guys are liking my work!**
> 
> \--------------
> 
> I have a Discord Server<https://discord.gg/7GC3puC> You guys can chat and share anything you like, I'll be warning when a chapter is coming up and posting some fanart from time to time.

Silvhen just wanted to straight-up disappear, he looked up begging for a rift to open and spill demons from it, fighting demons was way more pleasant than dealing with the Clan Lavellan.

They were outside Haven, he is pretty sure that the people inside could hear them from all this yelling.

Elena, the new Keeper was fuming after he said that he was going to stay with the Inquisition. “I knew the Keeper made a mistake taking you in! You don't even care for our culture! We gave you a vallaslin and yet you still act like a flat ear! Now you want to stay with these-these shems!? For what!?” The elven woman spat at him.

Silvhen sighed wearily, they have been at this more than he expected. “Okay, first of all, nobody forced the Keeper to take me in I was doing great on my own”

Which okay, that was a lie, he was alone and barely had food in him, but he was used to that, he managed to steal some clothing from the Crossroads and some food later on, when he made his way to the Exalted Plain he didn’t expect to face a dalish group passing by, they were making trades with another dalish from the Exalted Plains and Keeper Aedor took pity on seeing him practically just bones. 

He was grateful for his help, for taking him in and giving him food and a place to sleep, he would probably have died if he didn’t but to be honest he didn’t care at the time, as much he appreciated the help Silvhen hated how the others from the clan wanted to convert him to their culture, the Keeper tried to keep them from overwhelming him but the man couldn’t always be there to help. Mahanon was the only one aside from Keeper to actually care for him, the man even helped him control his magic better.

He raised a second finger. “Second, I didn't ask for a vallaslin! You practically forced it on me!”

Aedor was so mad when he heard about it, but there was nothing he could do after the damage was done, this thing is permanent!

Solas who was eavesdropping the conversation flinched at that, his eyes going wide, they forced the boy to get a vallaslin? If only the dalish knew that their vallaslin are marks of enslavement to their Gods. He felt anger, his blood boiling for the poor child; the dalish have been getting more stupid over the past few years.

“Look, it’s like you said, you didn’t want me in the clan and now I’m leaving, so stop trying to make me stay when you never wanted me in, in the first place!”

“Fine! Stay with the shems, maybe one of them will take you as their pet slave, you’re good at that at least” Elena said bitterly, some of the clan flinched at her words but said nothing as she ordered them to go back to their camp, she followed angrily stomping her way out.

“That was uncalled for…” Mahanon said disgusted staying behind, he never liked Elena she was the worst from their clan, he still can’t believe how they turned out to be such assholes when Keeper Aedor was so nice.

The older elven male looked at the upset teen. “She shouldn’t have said that don’t take her seriously, you know she is a-“

“-bitch?” Silvhen continued bitterly still looking after the Keeper with hatred.

Mahanon snorted. “Yeah, listen, I’ll be staying as well, the clan won’t be the same without Keeper Aedor and I want to help to close the breach as well” He shrugged.

“S-Silvhen!”

The two elves turned to see the Herald of Andraste smiling widely as he made his way towards them. The older elf noticed the younger elf’s posture change; he relaxed at seeing the greenette and his ears that thing when he is happy. Mahanon arched a brow looking between the bright teen and the usual broody younger elf curiously.

“What is it Izuku?” The young elf asked his tone of voice light in a way Mahanon had never heard.

“T-The meeting is over and I-I wanted to see if y-you are really s-staying…?” The freckled boy asked, eyes shining with hope.

The white-haired’s expression softened. “Yes I’m staying; I already talked to my clan”

Izuku smile got even wider as he practically threw himself toward the other teen and wrapped his arms around him in a tight embrace, the elf was beyond shock at the sudden display of affection, he wasn’t used to that, his face became a strong shade of red as he returned the hug.

Mahanon was watching the scene grinning like a madman, he wasn’t the only one a female Qunari who was making her way towards them was matching his expression. 

“Now, now green bit, it’s getting late, Josephine asked to show you two the way to your room, since we don’t have much space you two will be sharing a room, is that alright?” She asked amusedly.

Silvhen threw her a glare, he knew very well that they had space to make another room for him, it’s like they are doing this on purpose, the look on his face made Mahanon and Adaar snicker at him.

“I-It’s fine b-by me!” Izuku nodded not letting go of his friend, he turned his head slightly so he could see his friend’s face. “W-What a-about you?”

The white-haired elf could not say no to those puppy eyes that the greenette was giving.

“Whatever, I don’t mind” The elf finally said rolling his eyes.

If that night Silvhen slept with a greenette clinging to him on his bed because for some unknown reason someone put their beds side to side, the white-haired teen didn’t complain about it the next morning.

* * *

The next morning the advisors asked Izuku and Silvhen to participate in a meeting, they took this chance to tell them about the greenette being from another world, the boy decided to not tell about his suicide and sob story, for now, the important thing was to let them know that he didn’t know anything about this world.

When he finished explaining the room went silent for a moment until the Templar guy Cullen Rutherford decide that it was enough. “That’s ridiculous you can’t seriously expect us to believe that what you are saying is true!” The man punched the table.

Izuku whimpered taking a step backward, Herah and Silvhen immediately put themselves in front of the cowering teen, both glaring dagger at the blond man. 

“Cullen” Cassandra said in a dark tone, she had unsheltered her sword and was looking at the blond like she was about to cut his head off for scaring the greenette.

The man gulped, he looked away nervously. “I-I apologize, but you certainly can understand why this sounds insane!”

“I don’t understand why the thought of the Maker making other worlds is so hard to believe” Leliana said seriously. “Look at Izuku, he is obviously not from here, he barely knows anything about our world and his appearance is not like anything we have ever seen before”

Izuku almost let out a sob of relief at hearing that the Spymaster believed him, she was scary, and her opinion was the one that mattered the most in the room, so he wasn’t going to be thrown into a cell for acting crazy.

“He literally asked me why there is a war between Templars and Mages and said that it made no sense to him when I tried to explain” Cassandra pointed out, her sword still in hand and her eyes not leaving the ex-templar.

Josephine who was in awe at discovering that another world exists broke out from her thoughts to address the problem. “We shall keep this information from everyone, only the inner circle should know about Izuku’s origins, we don’t know what others may do with this knowledge”

“Agreed” Cassandra nodded finally putting her weapon down when Cullen sighed in defeat. “Now that this is out of the way we shall discuss what we shall do next”

Cassandra looked at Izuku "I mentioned that your mark needs more power to close the breach for good."

Leliana looked at Cassandra, "Which means we must approach the rebel mages for help."

Cullen didn't like that answer, the man's mood changed so quickly. "I still disagree, the Templars can serve just as well."

Cassandra sighed, "We need power Commander enough magic poured into that mark-"

Cullen wasn't having it, "-might destroy us all! Templars could suppress the Breach, weaken it so-"

Leliana looked at Cullen with her hands behind her back, her eyes cold "-pure speculation"

Cullen looked angry, "I was a Templar! I know what they are capable of!"

Josephine looked down taking notes. "Unfortunately neither group will speak to us yet. The Chantry has denounced the Inquisition"

Josephine looked at Ael, "And you specifically!" Ael looked shocked at Josephine.

Izuku whimpered. "T-They still t-think I'm g-guilty?"

Josephine looked at him softly. "That's not the entirety of it anymore, some are calling you; a strange child who just dropped out of the fade: The Herald of Andraste! That frightens the Chantry, the remaining clerics have declared it blasphemy, and us heretics for harboring you"

Cassandra didn't look happy at that. "It limits our options! Approaching the Templars or the Mages for help is currently out of the question for now..."

Izuku looked at them nervously; he still had no idea what they meant by the title they were calling him. "J-Just how am I-I the Herald of A-Andraste?"

The seeker turned to look at him, she blinked slowly before she came to the realization. "Ah yes, you wouldn't know, forgive me Izuku, people saw what you did at the Temple. How you stopped the Breach from growing, they have also heard of the woman seen in the rift when we first found you. They believe that was Andraste, she is the Maker's bride the one who created all" She explained patiently. "You said that when you died you saw the figure of a bright woman that must have been the spirit of Andraste! She gave you second chance in life; she said you were needed in this world, didn't she?"

Izuku considered it could have been a possibility, maybe the holy lady did save him after all, he nodded.

Leliana seemed hopeful at that. "The point is everyone is talking about you!"

Cullen looked at Izuku still suspicious. "Quite the title isn't it, how do you feel about that?"

The greenette didn't really know how to feel about it, if in his world superpowers exist then in this world the God they worship may as well be real, thought being a religious icon didn't suit him well, it's not like he can stop them of seeing him that way though.

He shrugged earning a snort from Silvhen.

Cullen seemed unsatisfied by his answer but let it go.

Leliana continued, "People are desperate for a sign of hope. For some, you're that sign"

Josephine looked at Leliana, "And to others a symbol of everything gone wrong."

Izuku started to worry about what this Chantry would do. "W-Will the C-Chantry attack u-us?"

Cullen looked at him, "With what? They only have words at their disposal."

Josephine didn't think mocking was the way to go "And yet they may bury us with them."

Leliana had an idea, "There is something you can do, a Chantry cleric by the name of Mother Giselle has asked to speak to you. She is not far and knows those involved far better than I. Her assistance could be invaluable."

The greenette nodded thoughtfully if this woman could help them... "I-I'll see w-what she h-has to say."

Leliana was relieved, "You will find Mother Giselle tending the wounded in the Hinterlands near Redcliffe"

After the meeting was over Leliana had gathered Solas and Varric to share the knowledge of Izuku's origins, the male elf was delighted to know of the existence of another world and promised to teach Izuku about Thedas, Varric just seemed done with his life, but agreed to tell about the stories of the Champion of Ferelden and of Kirkwall in case the matter came up.

* * *

Before they could prepare to leave for the Hinterlands Josephine had instructed Adaar to find someone to teach Izuku how to fight.

She came back with a dwarven woman at her side. “This is Cadash, she is our best archer and is willing to teach you”

Since Herah was at the meeting she knew the lack of knowledge of the greenette of Thedas and explained. "She is a silent sister, so she can’t talk”

Izuku eyed her curiously. “W-What you m-mean?”

“Ah, the women who join the Silent Sisters cut out their own tongues in honor of the sacrifice of Astyth the Grey, the first female Paragon of the warrior caste” Adaar explained further.

Izuku flinched at thinking about the woman in front of him cutting her own tongue, he doesn’t understand it, but he won’t judge, this world was nothing like his, the cultures and beliefs were different so he has to adapt.

He was always a quick learner so when the dwarven woman spend the next couple of days teaching him how to use a bow Izuku was already doing great for a beginner. Mahanon had offered to teach him how to fight with daggers and some hand-to-hand combat, the elf said that the invisibility ring would be a great combination when fighting.

It didn’t take too long for him to get the gist of how to fight with the daggers, oh don’t think he quickly became the master of bows and daggers, he was still a beginner and had yet a lot to learn, but at least he knew how to shot an arrow and how to defend himself in close combat. Fortunately, he wouldn’t have to use the daggers for further purposes any time soon.

* * *

Before packing, Harritt the Blacksmith had made him a light armor since he didn’t have enough mass to carry himself in heavy armor yet, but to be honest he like his armor, he would need to be stealthy in battle anyway so a light armor was the best to go with.

When they packed to get to the Hinterlands Adaar and Mahanon stayed to help with training the new recruits. Silvhen on the other hand insisted on accompanying them.

It took them a week to get to the Hinterlands, he misses trains, they were so practical, you sit there and wait until it’s your stop and then you get out! But no, they had to walk, they had no horses, so they walked and walked…and **_walked,_** Izuku felt like his legs were going to break from walking so much.

Cassandra and Varrics bickering made their journey somewhat bearable, it was fun, they sounded like an old couple, Solas was someone he enjoyed talking with, the man seemed pleased with all the greeenette’s question about the fade and how fascinated he was by it.

Solas explained that all humans and elves go to the fade when they dream, the only ones who don't are dwarves. It is different for mages and non-mages, the bald elf said most don't remember their time in the fade, only mages, mages can "remain conscious" in their Fade dreams and Izuku really wanted to see if he could do that even with him not being a mage.

Something they had been discussing a lot was about spirits, he agrees with the elf about them being people, they have thoughts, feelings and you could befriend them, unfortunately, some spirits could be corrupted, like Desire demons they were once spirits of purpose and various vents could corrupt a pure spirit, most of the times it was because mages forced them to act on something against their nature, that saddened him, he wonders if there is something that can be done to revert them back to their original selves.

Cassandra didn’t like that Izuku was so interested in learning about spirits and demons, he understands why she was wary about it, but he couldn’t help but want to learn more.

Varric was nice; he would talk about this Hawke person, the Champion of Kirkwall who Silvhen had mentioned before, the man was a blood mage and spirit healer at the same time.

At Izuku’s look of curiosity, Solas decided to nerd out about what he knew about the subject.

Blood Mages must be willing to sacrifice their own life force or that of others in order to wield this power.

While it may seem counterintuitive, Blood Mage actually synergizes quite well with Spirit Healer. For this build, it is recommended that the Blood Mage keep the Cleansing Aura sustainable active at all times. They use mana to cast spells, and when it gets low they can switch to Blood Magic. A healer's biggest concern is running out of mana, but with Blood Magic that won't be a problem. While it is true that Blood Magic greatly decreases the effectiveness of healing spells on the person, the ability has a short cooldown. Thus, if you don't wish to use Blood Sacrifice, simply switch off Blood Magic and heal yourself. You will be able to switch it on again very shortly.

That.is.so.cool!!

All the mage specializations were so interesting, Shapeshifter, Arcane Warrior, Battle Mage, Necromancer, Knight-Enchanter among others, Izuku cried a little when thinking about this because he wasn’t a mage, he wanted to shapeshift so badly! This world has dragons! He wants to turn into a dragon! Apparently so did Garret Hawke since Varric cackled when he blurted that out and he explained his friend’s obsession with finding a way to become a dragon.

Apparently talking about magic and Hawke was also a matter that Cassandra didn’t like…well, he can’t please everyone, can he?

While they walked he also spent most of his time talking to Silvhen, the elf was the first person of his age to treat him well, Izuku felt all warm and fuzzy around the elf, he never had friends before so he is assuming that his heart going all doki-doki when the white-haired shows him affection and take his hands on his was something you would feel with a friend. He doesn’t understand why the three adults of the group would grin every time they acted like that with each other, he only knows that that made his friend stop his show of affection and look away flustered. 

Cassandra almost squealed when Izuku tripped on a rock and Silvhen caught him, bringing the greenette closer, their chests touching and faces an inch apart. Izuku feels like he is missing something when he sees both Solas and Varric giving him those knowing smiles when they proceed to walk.

When they finally arrive at the hinterlands they go straight to finding Mother Giselle, they had to fight a group of Templars and Mage who were battling against each other, Izuku was still not used to see dead people much less to see his companions killing merciless, but he knew that was something he would need to get used to.

When they cleared the Crossroads and greenette went to meet with Mother Giselle, Cassandra accompanied him while Varric went to buy supplier, Solas and Silvhen healing the injured.

They found Mother Giselle tending to the wounds of the injured, she was older in her fifties and was dark-skinned and dark-eyed.

"There are mages here who can heal your wounds be still." Izuku heard her say to the soldier.

The soldier she was talking to looked at the mage behind her and spit at him. "Don't, don't let them touch me, mother! Their magic is-"

Mother Giselle just looked at the soldier kindly, "-turned to a noble purpose, their magic is surely no more evil than your blade."

The soldier couldn't look at her because he knew she was right. He tried to argue but couldn't. "Hush dear boy, allow them to ease your suffering."

The soldier laid back on his cot, willing to let the mage help him.

Izuku walked up. "M-Mother G-Giselle?" The Revered Mother rose to her feet, "That I am" She walked to him "You must be the one they are calling the Herald of Andraste."

Izuku smiled nervously. "I-I'm told y-you asked f-for me, M-Mother."

Mother Giselle smiled gently it was nice to see such a young child with manners, though it worried how much responsibility this kid would have to carry on his shoulders.

The two walked together, "I know of the Chantry's denouncement and I am familiar with those behind it. I won't lie to you, some of them are grandstanding hoping to increase their chances of becoming the new Divine."

They stopped and Giselle turned around to look at him, "Some are just simply terrified, so many good people senselessly taken from us."

Izuku agreed with that too much loss of life, "W-What happened w-was h-horrible" he said trying not to cry.

Mother Giselle looked at him softly. "Fear makes us desperate but hopefully not beyond reason. Go to them, convince the remaining clerics you are no demon to be feared. They have only heard frightful tales of you; give them something else to believe."

Izuku turned to look at her, eyes wet. "Y-You want m-me to a-appeal to t-them?"

Mother Giselle nodded. "If I thought you were incapable, I wouldn't have suggested it."

Izuku wasn't sure, from what he had heard in the war room they wouldn't be easy to convince. "W-Will they e-even l-listen?"

Mother Giselle wanted him to have hope. "Let me put it to you this way. You needn't convince them, you just need some of them to doubt. Their power is their unified voice, take that from them and you'll receive the time you'll need."

Izuku wanted to make sure he understood things correctly, "S-So I-I s-show up a-and show th-them the m-mark on my h-hand?" What are the chances that that will actually work?

Mother Giselle looked at him,[. "I honestly don't know if you've been touched by fate or sent to help us but I hope. Hope is what we need now, the people will listen to your rallying call. As they will listen to no other, you can build the Inquisition into a force that will deliver us or destroy us"

Mother Giselle turned to look at the village. "I will go to Haven and provide Sister Leliana with names of those in the Chantry who will be amenable to a gathering. It is not much but I will do whatever I can." She said shuffling his hair.

Izuku watched Mother Giselle walk off down the hill, he hoped she could talk to these Chantry officials and figure something out. He didn't want bloodshed or any more death.

“So in your world everyone has magic?” Varric asked dumbfounded.

“N-Not magic” Izuku went into his analytic mode. “A-After a p-phenomenon, many people around the world began to manifest d-different kinds of superpowers. W-While the cause of the Quirk phenomenon is unknown, it has been theorized that the development of Quirks was caused by the spread of a virus carried by mice” Which would make sense since one of the most intelligent person in all Japan was the Principal of U.A High School, a rat with an intelligence quirk.

* * *

Cassandra wanted them to go straight up back to Haven but Izuku convinced her that they should stay to help the people. Their first move was to get the horses from Denette who was having a problem with possessed wolves.

“Are there many abominations in your world? Surely there must people who those ‘quirks’ of their to do bad?” Cassandra asked, the woman’s view on magic wasn’t one of the best.

“Y-Yes, there are a l-lot of villains which caused the g-govern to legalize H-Heroes, there are s-schools where y-you can apply to b-become one” Izuku said sadly remembering of his dream to become a hero himself.

“And those who are not ‘Heroes’ can use their magic?” Solas was the one to ask.

“N-No, it’s i-illegal, only l-licensed heroes h-have the p-permission to use t-their quirks”

“But you said that the other kids used their quirks on you” Silvhen pointed out with a frown.

The adults frowned at that.

“I-It’s like I said, I’m q-quirkless, p-powerless for them t-that meant I-I was u-useless and n-nobody did anything a-against them u-using their quirks on me b-because they t-thought I-I de-deserved it” Izuku said anxiously.

“They are assholes” Silvhen muttered angrily, the other three companions shared his same opinion.

* * *

For some reason, they decided that Izuku and Silvhen should share a tent.

The elf wanted to throttle someone when he heard the adults snickering. 

* * *

Izuku was actually enjoying himself at the hinterlands, fresh air, the wind carrying the scent of the leaves, the water running through, it was nice…

…until he saw a bear which alright, forest, there are animals, alright, that’s okay, but then they saw another bear which what are the chances of finding two in a roll??? They set camp and then **_another_** bear went after them in the middle of the night!!!

Izuku became paranoid the next morning, he would stare into the bushes or at trees like a bear would just appear out of thin air, they have killed ten bears in one day, **_TEN!_** Where are all these bears coming from!? Why are there so many of them??? It’s like they are spawning like the spiders from Minecraft, you blink and oh, there is another bear! Great! Amazing, couldn’t be better! 10 out of 10, would kill it again.

Talking about killing Izuku hasn’t killed a single person yet, he couldn’t bring himself to, and his companions have given him an understanding smile when he told them he wouldn’t do it unless it were vital. Silvhen had promised him that if it depending on him the greenette would never need to take someone’s life, which made Izuku feel all sorts of warmth in his chest.

Though the greenette understood that in this world he would end up having to kill someone sooner than later, they were at war and he couldn’t be a burden to his companion, he would usually use the ring that his elf friend had given to him and go invisible, he would then put some distance between him and his target and shoot an arrow on the person’s legs, he wouldn’t kill just yet but he could incapacitate the enemies for his companions.

Apparently, the Templars killed an elven farmer suspecting that he was an apostate. “Bastard killed my husband and took his ring, said they thought it was magic” The elf woman said bitterly with tears in her eyes.

Izuku promised to find her husband’s ring, so the next couple of times that his companions killed Templars the greenette would search the bodies for the ring, it didn’t take too long for him to find it, when he returned the ring to the widow elf she burst into tears thanking him for giving her husband justice, he could practically see the approval from both Cassandra and Solas at that.

On his way he found a missing scout who was spending her time with a mage who was unfortunately killed, after saving her from the Templars, Varric persuaded her to try getting contact with the mages so they wouldn’t tell about her fraternizing with the enemy.

Izuku insisted on not leaving the Hinterlands until he had closed all the rifts, it took them a month to finish closing them all, in the meantime, he used his long stay and helped every person he could.

At the crossroad an elf man begged to anyone who walked past him to help him with his wife, she needed a potion that only his son knew how to make, Izuku hurried his companion to get to the fort as soon as possible to get the potion, fortunately, they had arrived in time to save the woman when after they got the potion from her son, the greenette gave them the instructions the man had given to him so they could make the potion themselves in an emergency.

They helped as much as they could; everyone in the group seemed to approve of his choices and were glad to stay for so long to help. But when they finally were finished and packed their things to go back to Haven everyone including himself was relieved.

When they were about to make their way off the Hinterlands-

-a bear appeared like it was waiting for the right moment to make its dramatic entrance.

“I don’t want to ever come back here again” Silvhen said wiping the blood from his face.

* * *

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **Please leave comments and kudos, tell me what you liked about the chapter, it helps me keep motivated to keep writing and to actually know if you guys are liking my work!**


	7. Val Royeaux

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Silvhen has it bad, Adaar being a good mom despite being Izuku's guardian for two days and the gang goes to Val Royeaux!
> 
> \------
> 
> For those who are new to the Dragon Age World.
> 
> Tamassran - Raise all the children and give them their general education. Look after those Qunari who are not mentally able, or are too physically impaired to function without a lot of help. (Qunari)
> 
> Vashot - A Qunari born outside the Qun. (Qunari)
> 
> Lethallin - Casual reference used for someone with whom one is familiar, Lethallin is used for males, while lethallan is used for females. (Dalish)
> 
> Venhedis and Fasta vass - A swear word in Tevene. (Tevinter)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter has yet to be beta read! If anyone wants to beta read it contact me!
> 
> [My Tumblr](https://ultra-bitchlord.tumblr.com/)  
>  **Please leave comments and kudos, tell me what you liked about the chapter, it helps me keep motivated to keep writing and to actually know if you guys are liking my work!**
> 
> \--------------
> 
> I have a Discord Server<https://discord.gg/7GC3puC> You guys can chat and share anything you like, I'll be warning when a chapter is coming up and posting some fanart from time to time.

After fighting their way through a sea of bears they finally hit the road once again, it was monotone, Cassandra and Varric bickering once again, Izuku had a feeling that these two will get together one day. Solas kept entertaining him with his knowledge of the fade and magic, Izuku wanted to take notes but every time he reached out to get his notebook he remembers that he still doesn’t have it on him, all that work he had put on those 32 notebooks left on his former world, what a waste.

Two weeks later and they finally arrived back in Haven, Izuku made his way to the Chantry, wanting to warn the advisors right away about what the revered mother had told him.

As he approached he saw a huge crowd gathered in front of it, arguing screaming at each other especially the Mages and Templars. Two, in particular, were in the center of it, The Templar started first.

"Your kind killed the most holy!" The Mage walked up to him just as angry "LIES! Your kind let her die!"

The Templar was about to draw his sword. "Shut your mouth Mage!"

Cullen quickly got in the middle of it. "ENOUGH!"

The Templar looked at Cullen in surprise. "Knight Commander!"

The blond snarled at the title, he looked at both men. "That is not my title! We are not Templars any longer!" Cullen pushed both men keeping them apart. "We are all part of the Inquisition!"

The templar seemed like he was about to argue when he got s glimpse of someone approaching.

"Now, that is not the behaviors expected from both Mages and Templars who had joined us, the Inquisition joined forces to help close the breach not to enforce your little fight against each other" Roderick said calmly as he made his way towards them. "Put your differences aside, we have a bigger threat at the moment, work together or we are all doomed" He glared at both the templar and mage who had started the fight, both of them looked down in shame.

Satisfied Roderick turned to the crowd. "Good, now all you! Go back to your duties!" He ordered, everyone, dispersed quickly going to back to their routine.

Izuku sighed in relief; he thought that for a moment the mages and templars would start killing each other, he was glad that Chancellor Roderick decided to step it, Cullen was staring at the man in surprise probably not expecting him to put an end to the fight. 

The greenette walked past them, Roderick gave him a sad smile while Cullen glared at him still suspicious of the freckled boy, Izuku whimpered and walked faster.

As he entered the Chantry he saw Mother Giselle talking to a couple of elven servants, she was smiling kindly at them, her smile got larger as she saw him, she bowed slightly nodding in a way of greeting, he returned the gesture as he walked past her to talk to Josephine.

The boy opened the door to see an Orlesian noble with a yellow mask covering his face. He was bald and clearly older and wore clothes that did nothing to show he had any good taste in clothing whatsoever.

Josephine was clearly talking to the man and not at all happy, she had her portable writing desk in hand as she listened to him.

"The Inquisition cannot remain, Ambassador. If you can't prove it was founded on Justinia's orders."

Josephine was clearly was trying not to sigh, "This is an inopportune time Marquis, more of the faithful flock here each day."

Josephine then caught sight of a nervous Izuku from the corner of her right eye, she turned to look at him as she talked to the Marquis. She actually looked relieved to see him "But allow me to introduce you to the brave soul who risked his life to slow the magic of the Breach."

The Marquis looked at Izuku in surprise not expecting him to be a child, he had heard the rumors but decided to shrug it off as a lie, but now here he was in front of the so-called 'Herald of Andraste' the supposed culprit of exploding the conclave...

The dark-skinned woman presented him breaking the man from his thoughts. "Ser Izuku may I present the Marquis DuRellion, one of Divine Justinia's greatest supporters."

The Marquis interrupted Josephine, recomposing himself from his shock. "And the rightful owner of Haven. House DuRellion lent Justinia these lands for a pilgrimage. This "Inquisition" is not a beneficiary of this arrangement." He told eyeing the woman.

Oh not this is bad, they need this place, where would they all go if they were kicked out off Haven? He looked at Josephine the woman seemed to be having trouble coming up with an answer that would change the man’s mind.

Izuku anxiously stepped in getting the attention of the Marquis, he held himself from whimpering at the heavy gaze upon him. "B-But ser, we need H-Haven at the moment, we have so many people here, we can't just t-throw them away, surely D-Divine Justinia w-wouldn't look with k-kind eyes at such thing, I'm sure she would not want her passing to divide us, I trust she would expect us to forge new alliances in the benefit of all people, we are in a crisis, we need to help each other" He said, his stuttering fading at the ending. 

The man eyed him for a moment before sighing tiredly. “You are right…the Inquisition may stay for the meanwhile…” The Marquis bowed slightly before leaving the room and closing the door gently.

Izuku let out a sigh of pure relief, he was afraid that he had said something wrong and would make things worse, but it seems like they were going to be okay for now. Josephine was looking at him in awe.

“That was fantastic Lord Herald! The Marquis will share his thought on us upon his return to Val Royeaux and your thoughtful speech may have given us a chance!” She beamed at him, scribing on her little board excitedly.

Izuku blushed flattered smiling slightly. “I-I’m glad I-I was a-able to h-help”

“You did amazing my Lord” She said softly as she approached and shuffle his hair, he gladly leaned into the touch, he has no idea why everyone here likes to shuffle his hair but it felt nice.

“Now dear, have you come here to tell me something?” She asked kindly before he could answer her she seemed to realize that she was talking to the Herald of Andraste who has been off it’s been two months and if he was back then he had finished his ‘quest’.

“Ah, yes! The Hinterlands! We shall gather the others at the war room, come with me Herald” She walked off the room.

He sighed, it seems like she won’t stop calling him that until he begs her not to, Josephine was a diplomat, too righteous, and followed the rules without questioning it, it would be hard to get the woman to be more loose.

* * *

“Having the Herald address the clerics is not a terrible idea” Josephine said thoughtfully, they were all gathered in the war room now.

Cullen frowned as he turned to look at the dark-skinned woman. “You can’t be serious!”

The woman calmly replied. “Mother Giselle isn’t wrong; at the moment, the Chantry’s only strength is that they are united in opinion”

“And we should ignore the dangers to the Herald?” Leliana interrupted Cullen before the man could say anything offensive which earned her a glare she just arched a brow in response.

“Let’s ask him” Josephine proposed.

Ah, great, now everyone’s attention was on him, Izuku’s heart was beating fast, he hates his anxiety so much. “I-It’s t-the o-only t-thing w-we c-can do f-for n-now” He said nervously, Cassandra who was at his side with crossed arms threw him a sympathetic look before addressing the other three.

“I agree, I will go with him, Mother Giselle said she could provide us names? Use them” The Seeker said laying a hand on the anxious boy’s shoulder; he relaxed a bit at the touch.

The red-headed was not having it. “But why, this is nothing but a-”

Cassandra interrupted her. “-what choice do we have Leliana? Right now we can’t approach anyone for help with the Breach” She turned to look at Cullen. “Use what influence we have to call the clerics together. Once they are ready, we will see this through”

Fortunately, after that the meeting was over, Izuku practically sprinted off of the war room, he ended up running into someone who cussed “Fasta vass!” and almost fell, the person grabbed his arm before he could splatter his face on the floor.

When he looked up he was met with vibrant yellow familiar eyes.

“The meeting was that bad, uh Lethallin?” Silvhen said helping the greenette get back on his feet.

The other teen was red on the face, embarrassed that he had run into his friend. “Y-Yes” He never had to give his opinion on things, nobody had ever asked him to, so this was all new to him, he had to do the right choices or else things would go badly.

“Hey, calm down, let’s go to the tavern, you need to relax a little” The elf said massaging his shoulders while he pushed him out of the Chantry.

Izuku relaxed a bit at his touch, when they arrived at the tavern the greenette was grateful what there were so little people in, probably because it was getting late already.

Varric waved at them, telling them to sit with him and so they did, Izuku was getting used to the food from this world, but wow he does miss Japanese food, he wanted Katsudon so badly, but at least the food was good, he thanked Flissa as she handed him a bow with a type of soup, it tasted good.

The dwarf decided to tell the boys more stories of his adventures with the Champion of Kirkwall as he sensed the tension on the greenette’s shoulders.

At some point they ended up talking about Silvhen and his past, Izuku almost forgot that the elf had said to Leliana at the war room that he was once a slave, he felt bad for him, he had no idea how bad slavery was in this world, but it couldn’t be any good.

“Wait, so you were a slave? From Tevinter?” Varric arched a brow in surprise, he analyzed the teen features, dark-skinned skin, white hair...

“Yes” The elf said bitterly, at seeing the look on the dwarven man he rolled his eyes. “No I’m not related to Fenris, I, unfortunately, do remember my time as a slave and I’m pretty sure I have no siblings, at least none that mamae told me about” He whispered the last part quite unsure.

Varric raised up his hands in mock defense. “Just making sure! Andraste knows the broody elf needs more familiar faces in his life”

“So he can threaten to shove his hand through my ribcage and rip off my heart? He didn’t seem to appreciate knowing his sister Varania was a mage, you wrote it yourself, if it wasn’t for Hawke and you, he would have killed her” The white-haired said blankly, Izuku was nodding in agreement at his side wide-eyed.

The blond dwarf frowned. “In his defense, she did lead him to a trap which had his former master Danarius almost get him back to slavery”

Silvhen shrugged at that. “True, still doesn’t give off brotherly vibes to me, I’m a mage, he hates mages doesn’t he? I’m surprised he decided to stay with Hawke since he is both a blood mage and a spirit healer, one would expect the guy to slice the Champion of Kirkwall in half for that” He mused.

“Hawke has his charms and good looks in his favor” Varric said mockingly. “Though I understand your surprise, the elf couldn’t see a blood mage that he wanted to rip their hearts off and he could barely stand Anders…”

“I-If he l-loves him th-then he can p-put aside his h-hatred for m-mages f-for him, r-right?” Izuku said thoughtfully, he knew that because his father Hisashi love Inko even though she was a terrible person, probably too blind from love to realize it, though from what Varric had told him Hawke seemed to be a good person.

The dwarf chuckled. “The kid said it right! Love makes you stupid” The man said from experience.

Silvhen rolled his eyes but didn’t disagree.

Varric looked at Izuku wanting to change the subject. “I need to ask greeny, why do you make a move like you’re about to get something every time someone says something that perks your attention?”

The green-eyed boy brightened at that. “I-I use to take notes on heroes” He said excitedly. “I-I had around thirty-two notebooks filled with information, about their strengths and weakness, how to improve their hero costume with better gear and how to better their fight technique-” Izuku went off on a tangent about his world’s heroes gesturing with his hands.

Varric could barely make anything out of the greenette’s muttering, he looked at Silvhen thinking he would see the teen in the same situation as him, only to find the boy batting his eyelashes to the greenette as he listened in with a soft smile.

The dwarf grinned to himself, this all looks so familiar to him, and it reminds him of Hawke talking to the gang at The Hanged Man while Fenris laughed fondly at his bad jokes. He looked between the two boys; hopefully, it won’t be as dramatic and troublesome as his friends’ romance.

He heard the door of the tavern open behind him, curious he turned to look who has arrived, he was surprised when he saw Herah Adaar walked in, her eyes wandering the place until it stopped on the green-haired child, her cool expression softened. “Now, now green bit, it’s getting late, you shall rest so you can travel tomorrow” She approached shuffling his hair.

Varric arched a brow, he knew the qunari woman was assigned to be the boy’s guardian since the kid’s parents were left in his world (well even if they did come with him there was no way there were going to let Inko near the child ever again), he knows that she has never been part of the Qun but if she was she would probably be a Tamassran.

She had been acting quite motherly towards greeny since he took a hit for Silvhen, the soldiers usually gossiped about how cold she was, maybe she was going soft, and he can’t blame her to be honest since the boy was a small ball of sunshine.

The greenette groaned, they just came back and they already had to go back to traveling the next day, he was still exhausted so he didn’t complain when the tall woman practically carried him to his room like she was holding a Mabari dog and wanted to show it off, it was an interesting sight.

Silvhen was looking after the greenette thoughtfully.

Varric being the little (ha) shit that he is asked smugly. “Sooo, are you going to gift him a notebook as part of your courting?”

Silvhen turned red. “Venhedis!” He glared at the dwarf giving him the middle finger which had the blond man cackle as the teen stormed off.

* * *

The next morning Cassandra, Izuku Solas, Varric and Silvhen packed their things, ready to head Val Royeaux to speak with the revered Mothers.

“Did you get your daggers?” The qunari woman asked anxiously.

Izuku nodded firmly.

“Did you take enough arrows? Did you get your new bow? Herritt had made a better one for you this morning, you got your snacks? Ah, is your armor comfortable? Wait, did you eat?” The woman continued to ask questions nonstop. 

“H-Herah I’m g-going to a m-meeting, not a w-war” Izuku said nervously, he was grateful for her worry but it was truly unnecessary in this situation.

The Qunari gave him a serious look. “Val Royeaux is full of snakes ready to spill their venom at you” She said before taking something from her pockets and handing it to him. “Take these smoke grenades, you never know…” She paused, thinking for a moment before going through her pouch once again and handing him something. “And these throwing knives…maybe I should give you enchanted arrows just in case...”

The greenette turned to look at his companions in exasperation, he only earned a snicker from both Varric and Silvhen, Cassandra and Solas were trying to hide a smile, the latter seemed surprised by the amount of worry the Qunari woman was showing.

After almost half an hour of Izuku assuring Adaar that he would be fine, they took off to the road.

* * *

When they got to Val Royaeux, Izuku was left in awe at the architecture, the statues and everything else looked so pretty. He marveled at the beauty of the city. Grand buildings, flowers, statues lavishness everywhere you could turn your head. As they crossed the bridged Izuku could hear the Chantry's bells ring out.

Cassandra watched amusedly as Izuku turned every way trying to look at it all, Silvhen at his side to prevent the boy from running into someone.

"The city still mourns" The seeker said sadly when the boy had finished gawking at everything.

People passed by, their faces covered with beautiful masks. Why would they cover their faces? A woman gasped backing up at seeing them all walk around freely without shame, her eyes were focused on the two elves and the dwarf of the group, he couldn't see her face but he could tell that she was disgusted. He scowled, ah, Adaar was right, he looked around seeing all the masked people avoid getting close to the elves, this place is full of snakes, he wasn't about to kill anyone anytime soon but excuse him if he accidentally trips and throws a knife at a snob noble if they talk shit about his friends.

Varric looked at Cassandra. "Just a guess Seeker but I think they all know who we are!"

Cassandra sighed as they passed through the gates, she looked at the dwarf like she was truly considering throttling the short man. "Your powers and skills of observations never fail to impress me Varric" She said sarcastically.

An Inquisition scout met them at the gate and fell to one knee, she was panting badly. "M-My lord Herald!"

Cassandra recognized her. "You’re one of Leliana's people! What have you found?"

The scout looked at the Seeker. "The Chantry Mothers await you and so do a great number of Templars!"

Cassandra seemed surprised. "There are Templars here?"

The scout nodded. "People seem to think the Templars will protect them from the Inquisition! They are gathering on the other side of the Market, I think that's where the Templars intend to meet you!" The scout rose to her feet before saluting them.

Cassandra walked further in, a frown on her face."They wish to protect the people from us?"

Solas sighed. "We knew to expect some kind of reaction."

Cassandra looked at him. "I didn't think the Templars would make an appearance!"

The scout looked at Cassandra, "Maybe the people are assuming what the Templars will do! I have heard of no concrete plans!"

Varric looked at them. "Do you think the order has returned to the fold maybe? To deal with us upstarts?"

Cassandra looked at him, "I know the Lord Seeker Lucius, I can't imagine him coming to the Chantry, not after all that has occurred."

She looked at the Scout, "Return to Haven, inform them what has happened in case we are delayed."

The scout bowed, "As you say my lady" she then left.

Izuku nervously walked into the middle of the square uncertain what he would find, Silvhen took his hand on his, squeezing it softly to help him with his anxiety.

He saw a woman walk up to a platform where a Chantry Mother spoke. "Good people of Val Royeaux! Hear me!" She had her arms raised up, looking through the crowd she continued. "Together we mourn our Divine, her naïve and beautiful heart silenced by treachery! You wonder what will become of her murderer."

The revered Mother looked at Izuku with a malicious smile. "Well, wonder no more! **_Behold!_** The so-called Herald of Andraste, claiming to rise where our beloved fell! We say this is a false profit! The Maker would send no false prophet in our hour of need!"

Izuku whimpered as the crowd turned to look at him with hatred, Cassandra took a step in front of him, shielding him from the glares.

“W-We j-just want to help c-close the Breach!” Izuku managed to say.

Cassandra looked at the crowd."It's true! The Inquisition only seeks to end this madness before it's too late!"

Silvhen looked off to the side seeing a group of Templars coming, the revered Mother pointed to them. "It's already too late!"

It was the Templars, they had come at last. They were walking up to the stage; The Mother had a huge look of relief on her face. "The Templars have returned to the Chantry! They will face this Inquisition and the people will be saved once more!" She said to the crowd who cheered.

The woman watched the leader of the Templars walk past her. Another Templar punched her in the face knocking her to the floor, the crowd gasped in horror as the other mother came to the woman’s aid. 

The leader consoles a Templar, Knight Denerim Barris who seemed troubled by the act.

"Steel yourself! She is beneath us!" The young Templar looked at the Mother ashamed.

He looked at Cassandra who looked angry. "What's the meaning of this?"

The Leader looked at her. "Her claim to authority is an insult! Much like your own!" He looked at Izuku disgusted as he left the stage.

Cassandra met up with him, "Lord Seeker Lucius? It's imperative that we speak with you!"

Lord Seeker had no interest in talking to her. "You will not address me!"

Cassandra looked at him in confusion, her brows coming together into a frown. "Lord Seeker?"

He didn't even bother to look at her. "Creating a heretical movement, rising up a puppet as Andraste's prophet! You should be ashamed!"

The Lord Seeker finally looked at them. “You should all be ashamed! The Templars failed no one by leaving Chantry to purge the Mages!" He pointed at them. "You are the ones who have failed! You have leashed our righteous swords with doubt and fear! If you came to appeal to the Chantry, you are too late! The only authority that deserves respect is mine!"

“B-But what a-about the Breach?” The greenette dared to ask even though he was shaking in fear. Something is off, he doesn't know what yet but this person... was not a human...

The Lord Seeker looked at Izuku as if he was a mere bug, Silvhen snarled at the man who blinked taken aback for a moment before recomposing himself. "Oh the Breach is indeed a real threat but you certainly have no power to do anything about it!"

Barris approached him. "Lord Seeker! What if the child really was sent by the Maker?"

Another Templar approached him. "You're called to a higher purpose! Do not question!" The man then walked off, The Lord Seeker looked at the Young Templar. "I will make the Templar Order a power that stands alone against the void!"

Lord Seeker gave Izuku a firm look. "We deserve recognition, Independence! You are Templar, you should know and want all these things. Instead, you serve an organization that question's ours. You have shown me nothing and the Inquisition less than nothing!" The Lord Seeker stood at attention, "Templars! Val Royeaux is unworthy of our protection, we march!"

The Templars moved out Varric walked up to the others as they watched the Templars leave. "Charming fellow isn't he!"

“I don’t think that Lord Seeker is human” Izuku blurted out suddenly.

That caught the attention of his companion who turned to look at him in shock.

“What do you mean by this?” Cassandra asked hesitantly.

Izuku played with his fingers nervously. “H-He didn’t behave h-human l-like, the way he walked and his posture is of someone who is trying to imitate someone, also, I could tell that he wasn’t breathing even though it’s hard to notice with all that armor, his chest didn’t move a single inch when he yelled which should make his chest move way more as he raised his voice, if I’m correct that he is not human this being wouldn’t know how to imitate the body’s reactions which explains the lack of muscle movement on his face while he talked and showed anger. Ah! And his armor didn’t make any sound as he walked? Like it was an illusion…”

Solas was looking at the boy perplexed. “I…I’m afraid that he is correct seeker, all of those sign points out to a demon using glamour to look like a human” He turned to the stunned woman.

“B-But Lord Seeker would never…” Cassandra looked down as she thought about it, the man did act differently from the Lord Seeker she knew….she sighed in defeat, what has transpired that the man she knew asked for a demon’s aid?

“Great job greeny!” Varric said patting him on the back before approaching the Seeker to comfort her.

Izuku perked up at being useful, at least his analyzes was good for something.

“You did great Lethallin” Silvhen said softly.

Izuku doesn’t know why, but he felt his heart beating faster at that, his face heating up a bit.

“T-Thank you”

* * *

**Bonus art that I made!**

This is my Herah Adaar!

Mahanon Lavellan: 

And Cadash! My Silent Sister dwarf. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please comment!


	8. The First Enchanter and a Red Jenny.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> We meet Vivienne and Sera!
> 
> \----
> 
> This chapter doesn't happen many things sorry! But the next one I promise there will be some action!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter has yet to be beta read! If anyone wants to beta read it contact me!
> 
> [My Tumblr](https://ultra-bitchlord.tumblr.com/)  
>  **Please leave comments and kudos, tell me what you liked about the chapter, it helps me keep motivated to keep writing and to actually know if you guys are liking my work!**
> 
> \--------------
> 
> I have a Discord Server<https://discord.gg/7GC3puC> You guys can chat and share anything you like, I'll be warning when a chapter is coming up and posting some fanart from time to time.

Cassandra eventually recomposed herself, though the revelation that the Lord Seeker they saw was a demon distressed her deeply.

Izuku and his companions went to see the goods from the market, Varric wanted to buy some enchanted arrows and dragged Cassandra along to distract her, Solas was trying to find a good staff which left the greenette alone to his own since Silvhen had disappeared somewhere in Val Royaeux.

The boy didn’t really need anything so he just waited, the crowd from earlier had dispersed so he the glares finally ceased, a woman from the market got his attention, she was looking at him anxiously. He hesitantly made his way towards her a bit wary.

“Excuse me but, is what they're saying real? The inquisition's going to fix the hole in the sky?” The lady asked when he approached her accent thick.

“Y-Yes, t-that is what w-we are a-aiming for” He said through his stutters, though the woman didn’t seem to mind it.

“No one is doing anything! The Chantry's useless, and the Templars... Andraste, I never thought they'd abandon us” She said melancholically.

“I-I understand, b-but don’t lose f-faith, fight for w-what you believe in! T-The Inquisition will d-do whatever i-it takes to close t-the breach” He promised with a determined look.

The woman seemed taken aback at that, she spent a minute analyzing him and for a moment Izuku thought he had said something wrong, but then she nodded slightly. “Listen, your camp will need food, I have contacts. We'll have deliveries there in days”

Izuku was surprised by that, but thankful that she had said that. “Y-You want t-to help the i-inquisition?”

Even though the lady was wearing a mask, he could tell that she was looking at him with determination through her change of posture. “Never been part of something this big before, but... if your inquisition's going to seal the sky, I want to help”

“I-I would g-gladly accept y-your help my lady” Izuku said politely. “Y-You can h-head to Haven, w-we are in n-need of good people”

“I don’t know if I’m that, but it will be nice to see” The woman said with a smile before turning to gather her things.

Izuku felt proud of himself, he had acquired an agent for the inquisition by himself! They needed all the help they could gather, food was starting to be a problem at Haven so he was really happy that he had found a solution for it.

He was minding his own business waiting for the others to come back when a man in elegant clothing approached him.

The messenger handed him a letter. “You are the Herald of Andraste are you not? I have an invitation for you” 

Izuku thanked the man who bowed respectfully before leaving; he opened the letter and read it through.

> _You are cordially invited to attend my salon held at the Chateau of Duke Bastien de Ghislain_
> 
> _Yours,_
> 
> _Vivienne de Fer_
> 
> _First Enchanted of Montsummard_
> 
> _Enchanter of the Imperial Court._

Izuku arched a brow, he has yet to know more about this world but by the fancy words, this woman must be important, Enchanted of the Imperial Court, uh? He will have to ask Cassandra about this.

It didn’t take look for his companion to come back, Silvhen was particularly disappointed by something, Varric was giving him a sympathetic look, the greenette wanted to ask about it, but now he needs to address another matter. He handed the letter to Cassandra who read it out loud for the others to hear.

“You shall attend it, Madame Vivienne is an Orlesian mage and personal enchanter and adviser to Empress Celene” The Seeker said interested. “It’s a wonder why she would contact us; she is a very…difficult person”

Izuku took in her words seriously, so this was a rare occasion, he would have to attend her …whatever is that she is inviting him to.

“We should return to Haven and inform the others about what has occurred” Cassandra said. “But we can attend her Salon before departing; it’s not far from here, we can stay at an inn until then, the Salon won’t be until tomorrow morning”

As soon as they proceed to walk an arrow flashed past Izuku’s shoulder, making the greenette jump and almost trip, his heart racing from being startled. The arrow hit the wooden pillar in front of them. They drew closer and noticed a piece of parchment tied around it.

Silvhen was looking around like he was going to set someone on fire for almost hitting the freckled boy.

“What’s that?” Cassandra asked, narrowing her eyes as she walked over to pick it up. “An arrow with a message?”

Cassandra read through it. “The handwriting is atrocious, I can hardly understand it” Cassandra pointed out. “That would be from the Friends of Red Jenny" She said curiously. "This person would have us find red things in order to discover... a baddie.” She said the word like it physically pained her, and handed the note towards Izuku.

“You don’t wanna mess with the Jennies,” Varric said gravely "It's possible that the Friends of Red Jenny are a cult. In Kirkwall, we encounter a cult called The Followers of She led by the desire demon Hanker, a Friend of Red Jenny sent us to wipe out the Followers of She because it was a rival cult" The blond explained warily.

Solas hummed and decided to give his two cents on the matter. “They are a secret cult that performs elaborate revenge schemes ranging from petty thievery to contractual assassinations on those who would prey on the lowborn of society. Usually, though, it's an expansive network that all contribute in disparate ways to random acts with the desired goal of mutually profitable ends. The organization is a leaderless resistance as they have no structural hierarchy and each cell is compartmentalized by location and headed by varied leadership”

That didn’t make Izuku feel any better, a cult? What? He looked at the letter in his hands.

> _People say you're special. I want to help, and I can bring everyone. There's a baddie in Val Royeaux. I hear he wants to hurt you. Have a search for the red things in the market, the docks, and 'round the cafe, and maybe you'll meet him first. Bring swords._
> 
> _Friends of Red Jenny_

Uh, yeah, he will give it a try; they seemed to help the ‘little people’ like Solas said. 

Now, he looked around taking in the enormous placer that Val Royeaux was, how the hell is he going to find those ‘red things’???

Izuku and the others spent an hour trying located three hidden red handkerchiefs hidden around the Summer Bazaar in Val Royeaux:

The Docks were located through the gate behind Mother Hevara, the first red handkerchief was at the back on the left.

The Cafe was to the immediate right of the southern section of the area; they found another handkerchief on the ground between the tables.

At the Upper Market, they found the last handkerchief on the left.

The three clues revealed that Izuku was being watched and followed. He found another rolled parchment which was a map; it revealed the location of a Secluded Courtyard, a key to access it, and a time to be there.

Seems like they have one more stop before resting.

* * *

The greenette and his companions arrived at the courtyard that night, and were immediately ambushed; Izuku and the others had to fight three mercenaries and an archer on the upper level.

The proceed to open a big blue door, Silvhen created a barrier in front I Izuku as a fireball immediately went towards him.

"Herald of Andraste” A voice with a thick Orlesian accent called out. "How much did you expend to discover me? It must have weakened the Inquisition immeasurably"

They all shared a look among them, they had no idea what the man was talking about but he seemed so sure that they knew him that they felt awkward.

“Who the fuck are you?” Silvhen said blankly at the greenette’s side.

Varric cackled in the background while Izuku threw his friend a look that pretty much said ‘why are you like this?’

The man was taken aback by the vulgar language but recovered quickly. “You don't fool me! I'm too important for this to be an accident! My efforts will survive in victories against you elsewhere!”

There was a sound of an arrow and a shriek. The man looked behind him just as one of his guards fell to the floor, dead.

A short-haired blond elf woman stood there, pulling back the string on her bow. “Just say ‘what’!” She yelled.

“What is the—” The Orlesian started before the arrow hit him in his neck. He struggled for a few moments, then fell down, dead as a doornail.

“Eww,” The elf said, scrunching her nose in disgust. She walked towards them. “Squishy one, but you heard me, right? Just say ‘what’? Rich tits always try for more than they deserve.” She kneeled down to the dead guy and pulled out the arrow. “Blah, blah, blah! Obey me! Arrow in my face!”

Izuku was looking at the scene horrified, he hasn't witnessed death this close, he usually watched from the distance when his companions killed people, he was pretty sure that he was pale ad s sheet right now.

“So, you followed the notes well enough. Glad to see you’re...” Sera trailed off, looking at him, blinking slowly as she came to the realization that she was talking to a- “You’re a kid...Andraste's tits! I thought they were exaggerating!" She paused as she realized the tears gathering at the edge of his eyes, she panicked. "Oh no, you are a kid!" She repeated as she looked between the boy and the dead body back and forward. "I killed someone in front of a kid!!! Shit!"

The others were glaring daggers at the blond elf, Silvhen, in particular, looked like he was about to set her on fire.

"I'm sorry! I really thought they were fucking with me when they said you were a kid! But hey! You will have to get used to this, right?" She tried to reassure him, but that only made the teen even more depressed.

She put both her hands on his shoulders, Izuku looked at her in tears, the elf looked lost on what to do. “Listen bucko, I’m sorry, yeah? But you will have to do the same one day you know? So just do I do, pretend they are some walking dummies with fancy clothing and get over it” She said nervously.

Izuku chuckled slightly at that, imagining what she said, the elf sighed in relief.

“Anyways, you’re the Herald ain’t you? You glow and wave your pretty little hand at the sky and stop the green ass in the sky from shitting demons, right?” She gestured to the sky.

The greenette giggle at the way she explained how his mark works, behind him his companions gave the blond elf a look that said ‘You’re safe… for now’ which earned a nervous hysterical laugh from her.

“Yep, I-I glow,” Izuku said between giggles and wiggled his marked hand at her.

“What’s up with this guy?” Silvhen said poking the dead body with his staff.

“No idea” Sera said, glancing at the dead guy. “I don’t know this idiot from manners. My people just said the Inquisition should look at him.”

“Right” The white-haired elf said looking at her like she wasn’t right in the head, she made as much as sense as a Solar-powered flashlight “Of course.”

“Name’s Sera” She said and gestured to some wooden crates nearby. “This is cover. Get around it.” At their confused looks, she added. “For the reinforcements, don’t worry, someone tipped me their equipment shed.” She grinned. “They’ve got no breeches!” She giggles maniacally.

“Why didn’t you take their weapons?” Varric asked with a groan taking his crossbow Bianca off his back.

“Because, no breeches!” Sera cackled.

There’s something pretty disturbing about fighting against a bunch of guys with no pants on. They were shockingly easy to defeat, seeing as half of their bodies were unprotected, Izuku’s face was red the entire fight.

When it was over the blond elf walked towards them. “Friends really came through with that tip” Sera said and giggled. “No breeches” She turned to look at Izuku. “So, Herald of Andraste. You’re a strange one, me and my people would like to join.”

“Y-Your people?” Izuku asked confused.

Sera frowned, she was ready for the boy to ask about her people being elves but the boy just said:

“Y-You mean l-like, l-little people?” He asked curiously. 

She was taken aback by that, for a moment she stared at him stunned before she gave him a wide toothy smile. “Yeah! Red Jennies, It’s just a name yeah? It lets little people, ‘friends’ be part of something while they stick it to the nobles they hate!”

“Well, I w-welcome y-you to the I-Inquisition Sera!” Izuku said excitedly.

“Just like that? No more further questions?” She asked a bit warily.

The greenette only shrugged. “Y-You want t-to help, that’s e-enough for m-me.”

“I like you,” Sera said with a smirk. “Get in before you’re too big to like. That’ll keep your breeches where they should be. Plus, extra breeches, because I have all these...” She glanced down. “You’ve got merchants who buy that pish, yeah? Got to be worth something.” She paused. “Anyway, Haven. See you there, Herald. This will be grand!” She started to walk towards the exit before stopping and turning to him once again. “And I’m sorry again for what I did!” She yelled before sprinting off.

Okay, that was…something, he sighed, he was really tired, he doubts he will be able to sleep after what he saw though.

* * *

The next morning they woke up earlier so they could attend Vivienne’s Salon, the carriage ride to the Duke De Ghislain’s mansion took an hour. That guy actually lives outside Val Royeaux. Once they finally arrived, fashionably late of course, the party was already in full swing. People were mingling about, talking, and there was gentle music played in the background. They received many confused and interested looks as they stepped farther into the parlor.

“A pleasure, ser” A masked noble with a golden mask and a hat said, effectively ignoring his companions, Izuku noticed the other nobles staring at the elves and dwarf of the group.

“We so rarely have a chance to meet anyone new. It is always the same crowd at these parties. So you must be a guest of Madame De Fer, or are you here for Duke Bastien?” The man continued.

The woman beside him gave the greenette a curious look from behind her mask. “Are you here on business? I have heard the most curious tales of you. I cannot imagine half of them are true.” She shared a look with the man.

Izuku glanced at Cassandra, and then back to the pair. “W-What have y-you heard a-about me?” He asked nervously.

“Some say that when the Veil opened, Andraste herself delivered you from the Fade” She said, and hesitated. “There have also been rumors... That you’re from another world” The woman whispered the last part.

Izuku went pale, oh no, where the hell have they hear that? He glanced at his companions who had heard the lady despite her best efforts to say it quietly. They were all trying their best to hide their panic; Cassandra murmured something about having to talk to Leliana about possible spies.

The freckled boy finally turned back at the two nobles, a wavering smile on his face. “S-Some of these things may be exaggerated, but I truly was saved by Andraste” He said trying his best to not stutter.

The woman gasped in awe “You’re truly blessed my lord, to be saved by Andraste herself…you are destined to do great things!” She said, hand coming to her chest. “The Inquisition should attend more of these parties”

“The Inquisition” Came a derisive voice came from the balcony. “What a load of pig shit.” A man in a light blue outfit and a fluffy hat walked down the stairs. There was a sword at his hip and one on his back. “Washed up sisters and crazed Seekers” he said, gesturing with his hands. “No one can take them seriously. Everyone knows it’s just an excuse for a bunch of political outcasts to grab power.”

He came to stand right in front of Izuku who tried not to whimper, Cassandra took a threatening step forwards, Silvhen doing the same at his side, both were glaring daggers at the man, looking insulted, the greenette put out a hand to stop them before things get ugly.

“T-The Inquisition i-is working t-to restore pe-peace and order to T-Thedas,” The boy said nervously.

“Bah, you can’t even talk with conviction stuttering like that! We know what your Inquisition truly is” The man said, really getting into Izuku’s face who took a step backward. “If you were a man of honour-” Izuku frowned, he is still just a teen. “-you’d step outside and answer the charges.” The noble reached for the sword at his back, but before he could grip it, he froze in place. A sheen of frost covered his skin.

“My dear Marquis, how unkind of you to use such language in my house, to _my_ guests” Said Madame Vivienne de Fer, she stalked down the stairs, her hips swinging dangerously as she closed in on the frozen man. “You know such rudeness is... intolerable.” Her voice was calm but full of venom.

“M-Madame Vivienne” The man struggled to speak, his teeth chattering, “I humbly b-beg your pardon”

“You should ” Vivienne said pointedly, circling the unfortunate man. “Whatever am I going to do with you, my dear?” She asked, paused, and turned to Izuku with an inquiring gaze. “My lord, you’re the wounded party in this unfortunate affair. What would you have me do with this foolish, foolish man?”

Before Izuku could even open his mouth his companions said in a chorus: “Kill him”/ “Set him of fire”/ “Cut his head off”/ “Bianca could teach him a lesson”

The greenette turned to look at them horrified, giving them a pointed look before turning back to Vivienne who was about to kill the man since so many voiced their anger, the man whimpered in fear.

“W-Wait! I-It’s okay! L-Let him go, I-I t-think h-he gets i-it” Izuku said as quickly as he could through his stutter.

The black-woman eyed him curiously before nodding. “By the grace of Andraste, you have your life, my dear” Vivienne said and snapped her fingers. The frost receded. “Do be more careful with it”

The man almost fell over and started coughing.

“And, do thank Lord Herald for your life, it was a four against one vote after all” She said looking at her nails dismissively.

The Marquis nodded fast in fear, he turned to the greenette and bowed. “T-Thank you my lord!” He then proceeded to flee the scene of his humiliation quickly, leaving them alone with the rest of the guests, who were listening to the discussion discreetly.

Vivienne looked up at Izuku. “I’m delighted you could attend this little gathering” She said like she hadn’t just offered to kill a man for him. “I’ve so wanted to meet you.” She glanced pointedly at his companions behind him. “May the Herald and I speak in private?” She asked graciously.

They all nodded hesitantly and stayed where they were as Izuku followed the Orlesian enchanter to a quiet corner of the party. They stood there basking in the moonlight, in front of massive windows overlooking the courtyard.

“Allow me to introduce myself” Vivienne said. “I am Vivienne, First Enchanter of Montsimmard and Enchantress to the Imperial Court”

He gives her a smile. “I’m I-Izuku”

“I wanted to meet face to face. It is important to consider one’s connections carefully. With Divine Justinia dead, the Chantry is in shambles, but the faithful flock to your banner, pinning their hopes on you to deliver them from chaos.” She gave him a serious look. “As the leader of the last loyal mages of Thedas, I feel it right that I lend my assistance to your cause”

Izuku knew about her thoughts on the Circles, Cassandra had told him on their way to the mansion, he didn't like the circles, maybe it's because he came from a world where everyone has superpowers, but there will always be there evil no matter what you do, locking up everyone who has magic won't fix that, the things they do to mages in Thedas are disgusting, stripping someone from their dreams and feelings just so that they won't be able to be possessed was unethical, if he finds a way, he will cure all the Tranquil.

He thought that all mages would be opposed to the circles of magi, but it seems like some belief it to be the best choice of course. He wanted to turned down Vivienne's offer but...they needed more people in the inquisition, she has influence and that would give them some advantages.

He eyed the woman carefully, she obviously wasn't offering help from the goodness of her heart, she wanted something in return, she had hidden intentions Izuku was sure of that, the way she ported herself made it obvious. Yet she didn't bring up her interests, so that means that whatever benefits she wanted to earn from this would come to her if Izuku accepts her in the Inquisition. She probably wants more influence, the inquisition was growing, and being on the side of a growing and well-talked corporation may help her in some way, maybe it will help her restore the circles?

She would be challenging to please, from what he knows until now Vivienne favors a return to the old order of the Chantry and Circles, she is scornful of radical change, probably won't get along with the rebel mages.

The woman made him think that she would approve of the templars, no matter how radical they could be, so Izuku would have to lie his way to earning her approval, he will have to play her game and show her how much he supports the circles until her usefulness has expired. Then he could either kick her out of the Inquisition or let her decided if she will leave or not after she finds out about his true thoughts on the matter. 

“Y-You’re going to b-be an i-invaluable member of the I-Inquisition” He said.

“Thank you, my dear, you will not regret this” Vivienne said, her lips curling into a smile. “Do enjoy the festivities and the food. I will see you again at Haven.”

He hopes he doesn’t regret his decision. No matter, at least now they could all go back to Haven.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please comment!


	9. New Companions and Gifts.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lots of things happen in this chapter!:
> 
> \- We meet Blackwall and Iron Bull,  
> \- Izuku can be scary when he wants to,  
> \- We get to know a bit of Herah Adaar's past,  
> \- Mama Adaar almost kills The Iron Bull,  
> \- Sera and Silvhen work on something together  
> \- And Silvhen finally gives Izuku some gifts. 
> 
> Next Chapter we go after the Templars and Mages!
> 
> Please comment!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter has yet to be beta read! If anyone wants to beta read it contact me!
> 
> [My Tumblr](https://ultra-bitchlord.tumblr.com/)  
>  **Please leave comments and kudos, tell me what you liked about the chapter, it helps me keep motivated to keep writing and to actually know if you guys are liking my work!**
> 
> \--------------
> 
> I have a Discord Server<https://discord.gg/7GC3puC> You guys can chat and share anything you like, I'll be warning you when a chapter is coming up and posting some fanart from time to time.

As they left the mansion an elven woman in mage clothing approached them.

“If I may have a moment of your time?” She said in a weird tone of voice that it rubbed Izuku up the wrong way.

“Grand Enchanter Fiona?” Cassandra said stunned.

Solas eyed the elven woman equally surprised. “Leader of the mage rebellion, what brought you here?”

The woman ignored the two like she couldn’t hear them. “I heard of this gathering, and I wanted to see the fabled Herald of Andraste with my own eyes” She eyed Izuku. “If it's help with the Breach you seek, perhaps you should look among the mages”

“I’m surprised the leader of the mage wasn’t at the conclave.” Silvhen asked, he had also noticed something wrong going on.

Cassandra narrowed her eyes feeling suspicious. “Yes, you were supposed to be, and yet somehow you avoided death” She said carefully.

“As did the Lord Seeker, you'll note, both of us sent negotiators in our stead, in case it was a trap, I won’t pretend I’m not glad to live, I lost many dear friends that day. It disgusts me that the Templars will get away with it, I’m hoping you won’t let them” She said voice monotone. 

The greenette decided to not take the bait about it being the Templars’ fault, Cassandra was already angered enough by the woman’s words. “T-The mages w-weren't willing t-to talk to the I-Inquisition before, w-why now?” Izuku asked nervously, the others noticed his discomfort and readied their weapons without the woman noticing.

“Because I've seen what you are, and I've seen the Chantry for what it is. Consider this an invitation to Redcliffe: come meet with the mages, an alliance could help us both after all, I hope to see you there, au revoir, my Lord Herald” The elven woman said before turning and leaving them.

The blond dwarf approached Izuku stopping at his side as he looked after the woman with narrowed eyes. “So, kid, what did you get from that?” Varric said.

“Eyes unfocused, breathing but irregularly, she spoke like she was supposed to meet us at Val Royaeux, like she had her lines written for a situation and didn’t bother to change it, how did she find us here at the mansion? Nobody knew we were here besides Madame Vivienne, she sounded off, voice drawling, like she isn’t completely there like she is being controlled….” Izuku began to mutter.

“Your observation skills once again amaze me” Solas said with arched brows, the others were equally surprised at his analyzes.

“So, no demon, uh?” The dwarf put Bianca back on his back.

“Is there any type of magic that allows you to control someone?” Izuku asked the bald elf without stuttering with focused eyes.

“Yes, blood magic, it requires grand focus and power, whoever did this is a powerful mage” Solas mused.

Silvhen scowled “So it’s a trap” He looked to Izuku who seemed lost in thought and sighed. “And you’re going to attend anyway, aren’t you?” He asked in exasperation.

The greenette only gave him an apologetic smile.

“Not a good idea, but if that is what you wish” Cassandra said distressed. “But first, we need to go back to Haven”

Ah, yes, that he could agree on, he was exhausted, he misses Adaar…

* * *

After five and a half days of travel, they have finally arrived back to Haven. They found out that Sera and Vivienne had arrived before them, the two women were already bickering, the blond elf apparently didn’t like magic that much.

The second they put their feet in Haven they could hear heavy footsteps making their way to them as well as some people screaming as Adaar sprinted towards them like she had a mom sense that tingled when Izuku was nearby.

She tackled the boy into a hug; the greenette accepted his fate and let the qunari woman coddle him, dragging him to the tavern because he looks so ‘skinny’, the boy didn’t complain he loves the woman’s show of affection.

It felt like this was what a mother was supposed to be, how being loved is supposed to feel, his cheeks heated at the thought, he starting to see Herah as a mother figure, maybe it was because his own blood-related mother was terrible and never loved him that made him clingy to Adaar so much, but it felt right calling her mom in his head, he isn’t going to say that out loud any time soon though, he doesn’t know if the woman feels the same.

A couple of qunari mercenaries watched the scene fondly; the group approached them which caught their attention. “Hello there” The male one said with a smile, the others behind him inclined their heads as a greeting.

“So, what had Adaar so clingy with the boy? No offense but before him, she acted like she would kill anyone with a glare” Varric the courageous one asked.

The qunari man chuckled before his expression turned sour. “Herah had a child once” He looked after where the woman had disappeared into, the dwarf frowned at his phrasing, ‘had’.

“One night the qunari attacked, killed both her husband and child, she had been that cold ever since, I think the Herald reminds her too much of her daughter, the little thing was so sweet, I don’t think she is doing this do replace her deceased child but she got quickly attached to the boy” He said sadly. “I can’t blame her; the kid has a kind heart”

The group’s mood soured up.

“Oh” Was the only thing that Varric managed to say.

Well, at least she had Izuku now, and the greenette needed a mother figure since his blood-related mother was officially the worst person they have the displeasure of hearing about.

Adaar was doing a great job at taking care of the sunshine teen.

* * *

Herah spent two hours fussing over Izuku, the woman had convinced Flissa to make a dish that was similar to the famous ‘katsudon’ that Izuku talked so much about, the boy had burst into the tears when he tasted it, the only things he missed from home was this dish, his father used to cook it for him, so it brought him good memories. He thanked Adaar for doing this for him, throwing himself at her arms; she gladly accepted the hug, her mercenary companion watching the scene happily from the other side of the tavern. 

Some of the humans have been treating the Qunari mercenaries better after seeing the woman being so affectionate with her human child.

After the boy was full she had prepared him a warm bath and a couple of clean comfortable clothes, she insisted that the boy took a couple of hours of sleep before meeting the advisors, he complied since he had not slept well after his encounter with Sera.

After he woke up Cassandra lead him to the Chantry to meet with the advisors, Josephine stepped out of the darkness of the room’s corner like she wanted to surprised them.

“It’s good that you’ve returned, we’ve heard of your encounter” She said.

Cassandra blinked unexpectedly. “You heard?”

They see both Leliana and Cullen approaching them, the latter was staring at Izuku like he had become an abomination in front of him; the woman at his side elbowed him in the ribs earning a pained hiss from the blond.

“My agents at the city sent word ahead, of course” The red-headed said smugly ignoring the glare the man was giving her.

“It's a shame the templars have abandoned their sense as well as the capital” The man muttered. “Well, at least we know how to approach the templars now”

Cassandra shook her head. “I can’t believe I’m saying this, but the templars are out of question” Cassandra said bitterly, she continued before Cullen could express his outrage. “The Lord Seeker we saw is a demon”

The three advisors paled stunned, even Leliana who always kept a calm façade was looking at them wide-eyed.

“What?” Cullen was the one to ask, his voice wavering.

“Izuku noticed the signs and Solas confirmed that what we saw was a demon disguised as Lord Seeker” Cassandra explained getting into the details of what Izuku had pointed out, the other minus Cullen were impressed.

“And you are going to believe what a child and an apostate say?!” The blond said angrily.

“Cullen, enough!” Leliana said coldly baring her teeth with an icy stare.

The blond man shut his mouth with a sharp clank, he glared at the boy before storming off and slamming the door behind him making Izuku flinch.

Izuku repeatedly shifted his body weight from one foot to the other, a pained grimace on his face showing his discomfort at receiving such hostility from the ex-Templar.

“D-Did I do a-anything to piss him off?” He asked, the man has been hostiles towards him since the beginning, throwing him glares here and there, he doesn’t remember doing anything that could anger the ex-templar that badly.

Leliana’s expression softened. “He is just having problems with…some things from his past” She eyed Cassandra who nodded, they have been trying to help Cullen with his Lyrium withdrawal but the lack of the ‘drug’ has been messing up with his temper.

“That aside, I suppose you are going to meet with the mages?” Josephine asked changing back the subject.

“Ah, the herald has also noticed that Enchanter Fiona seemed to be controlled by someone, so it may be a trap…” Cassandra said distressed, now that she thinks about it, both mages and templars seemed to be unapproachable.

“I-I think we c-could approach b-both?” He said hesitantly, he doesn’t like the templar so far, but they needed all the help they could get to close the Breach.

“How? You can’t be at both places at the same time, both want your presence” Josephine pointed out.

“W-We could send C-Cullen? H-He was a t-templar, Knight-Captain to be more specific, they respect him, and we could try contacting and warning people in the Order, those who we know are trustworthy; there was this man at the meeting who seemed to disagree with Lord Seeker”

“Ah yes, that was Ser Barris” Cassandra said nodding in agreement. “He is a nobleman, I’m sure he will see reason”

“S-So we send him a message talking about my suspicions, make it believable that the Lord Seeker is a demon, tell him that a specialist has pointed that out, tell him to gather the templars who oppose the Lord Seeker to meet Cullen outside” Izuku looked towards Leliana. “Send some spies beforehand to see what’s going on, we don’t know the demon’s plans, if things are too bad they can return to Haven to relate what they saw and we can come up with an ambush plan”

“A simple plan, but a plan nonetheless” Leliana said in approval. “I’ll be sending spies right away”

Josephine took notes on her small portable passbook before inkling her head and leaving them, Cassandra excused herself and left as well, she wanted to train a bit.

Before Izuku could leave Lelliana approached him. "One of my agents reported a man, calling himself Blackwall, dressed in full Grey Warden regalia and last seen traveling through the Fereldan Hinterlands. After you told us about what you saw at the conclave I could tell that the soldiers you saw are Grey Wardens, we need to investigate this, but it seems like all of them disappeared, all of them but this Blackwall, he should be questioned"

Izuku nodded seriously. “A-Alright, I’ll do my best to find him” He said determinedly which earned him a hair shuffle from the red-headed and a soft smile.

“Thank you, do take care, you’re still not in a position to fight, so for now relay on Cassandra and the others when it’s about fighting, alright?” The woman said truly concerned.

Izuku gave her a reassuring smile. “O-Of course! T-Thanks Miss Leliana!”

Izuku made his way out of the Chantry when suddenly.

“Excuse me,” A voice said, Izuku turned to see a man in armor was in front of the Chantry looking around kind of lost. “I’ve got a message for the Inquisition but I’m having a hard time getting anyone to talk to me.”

Izuku motioned him to continue, the man let out a relieved sigh.

“We got word of some Tevinter mercenaries gathering out on the Storm Coast. My company commander, Iron Bull, offers the information free of charge. If you’d like to see what the Bull’s Chargers can do for the Inquisition, meet us there and watch us work.”

The greenette nodded. “W-We can u-use all the h-help we can g-get.” From the name he is assuming that this ‘Iron Bull’ was a qunari, he has seen Herah training and her group of mercenaries, they were strong, having more qunari would be a great addition to their forces.

“We’re the best you’ll find. Come to the Storm Coast and you can see us in action.” He handed Izuku a map with a location marked on it and left.

* * *

They awoke early the next morning and left Haven with Cassandra, Varric and Sera in tow. They moved relatively silently, their journey into the Hinterlands was peaceful, even though Sera and Varric did their best to piss off Cassandra, the woman suffered the entire journey which was truly amusing. They made good time to the Crossroads, and Izuku was relieved to see it had almost fully recovered from the warzone it had appeared to be last she was there.

It wasn’t very difficult to locate the sole Grey Warden in the region, especially when he was announcing himself as such and looking for recruits. They tracked him to a small cottage by a lake, where he had three young men standing with swords in hand; recruits, Izuku assumed. As they approached, the greenette noticed that the man was older than he’d anticipated. His black hair was slicked back and a thick, black beard with hints of graying covered his face. He wore a griffon emblazoned breastplate over his sturdy frame and was drilling the recruits in shield work.

He approached loudly enough to be heard. “B-Blackwall? W-Warden Blackwall?” Izuku asked after a quick glance towards Cassandra.

The Warden’s features held a slightly surprised look as he slowly approached. "You're not - How do you know my name? Who sent..." His eyes flashed and he raised his shield, blocking an arrow that would have hit Izuku squarely in the throat as he jumped back in shock.

"That's it, help or get out, we're dealing with these idiots first." The man spat.

It took less than three minutes to dispatch the bandits that had ambushed them. Blackwall was as efficient as Cassandra as he fought, cutting down half a dozen bandits in the short stretch of a minute. Izuku immobilized as many as he could with his arrows while he was invisible, and while he was still unhappy they had to die, he didn’t have the sickening feeling in his gut that stuck with him for his first week in the Hinterlands. Blackwall drove his sword into the last living bandit and looked at the carnage.

"Sorry bastards." Blackwall rose and turned towards the recruits.

"Good work, conscripts, even if this shouldn't have happened. They could've... " he sighed, "Well, thieves are made, not born. Take back what they stole. Go back to your families. You saved yourselves." He watched them leave, then turned to face Izuku.

"You're just a child…why do you know my name? Who are you?"

"M-My name is Izuku. I-I know who you a-are because I-I'm an agent of t-the Inquisition. I'm i-investigating the d-disappearance of t-the Wardens s-since they w-were at the c-conclave with t-the m-murderer of the Divine" He explained anxiously.

The man looked insulted. "Maker's balls, the Wardens and the Divine? That can't –what evidence you have?” Blackwall crossed his arms eyeing the boy suspiciously.

"First off, I didn't know they disappeared” The Warden explained with a shrug. “But we do that, right? No more Blight, job done, Wardens are the first thing forgotten. But one thing I'll tell you: no Warden killed the Divine. Our purpose isn't political."

Cassandra stepped in. “He was at the conclave, he saw the Grey Wardens holding Divine Justinia to her murderer” The woman said angrily, she wanted to attack the man, but held herself from doing that, they needed information. “We've only found you, where are the rest?"

Blackwall was in shock, he looked at the short boy who nodded confirming the Seeker’s words, he can’t believe this, why would the Grey Wardens kill the Divine? It made no sense to him…

"I-I haven't seen any other Wardens for months” He explained still shocked “I travel alone, recruiting. Not much interest because the Archdemon is a decade dead, and no need to conscript because there's no Blight coming. Treaties give Wardens the right to take what we need… who we need. These idiots forced this fight, so I 'conscripted' their victims. They had to do what I said, so I told them to stand. Next time they won't need me"His gaze became unfocused as he gazed at the ground "Grey Wardens can inspire, make you better than you think you are, at least that was what I thought" he said bitterly.

"Do you have any idea where the other Wardens could have gone?" Varric asked from Cassandra’s side, still not entirely convinced that all the Grey Wardens in Southern Thedas just disappeared.

The man thought for a moment, then shook his head. "Maybe they returned to our stronghold at Weisshaupt? That's in the Anderfels, a long way north. I don't really know. Can't imagine where they'd disappear to."

Cassandra frowned deeply; “Why didn’t you go with them?”

He tensed slightly. “I had no idea of their plan to kill the Divine, I barely can believe they would do such a thing…my job was to recruit on my own. Planned to stay that way for months. Years."

“I-I’m sorry about that, but thank you for the i-information!” Izuku said

They turned to leave when Blackwall spoke again. "Inquisition... agent, did you say? Hold a moment. The Divine is dead, and the sky is torn, If you're trying to put things right, maybe you need a Warden. Maybe you need me."

He gazed at the Breach, still visible in the sky even from this distance. "Look, maybe fighting demons from the sky isn't something I'm practiced at, but show me someone who is. And like I said, there are treaties. Maybe this isn't a Blight, but it's bloody well a disaster. Some will honor them, being a Warden means something to a lot of people."

Izuku considered his proposal for a moment, they needed help, he doesn’t believe that this man knew about what the others Grey Warden did, his shock was too believable. Making a decision he then held out his hand. "W-Warden Blackwall, t-the Inquisition a-accepts your o-offer."

Blackwall shook it, then Cassandra spoke up. “Herald, are you sure? The Grey Wardens were involved in Divine Justinia’s death, who can tell if he isn’t lying and is spying on us?” She eyed the man carefully.

Blackwall’s eyes widened. “Herald? You said you were just an Inquisition agent, not the Inquisition’s bloody leader” His posture changed immediately, he bowed respectfully.

The greenete made a motion for the man to stop his reverence. “I-I am j-just an a-agent, r-really” Izuku denied shyly before turning to Cassandra. “B-Besides, w-we’ll use the treaties s-sparingly.” He had yet to learn more about the Grey Wardens but he knew that the treaties would be of great help.

Cassandra grunted begrudgingly and they prepared to leave, they decided to let Blackwall tag along.

* * *

They made good time to the Storm Coast, arriving there in just over a week. Once they arrived, Izuku headed to meet Scout Harding. She gave him the information he needed (mostly that the Storm Coast was a shithole infested with Darkspawn) and the greenette made his way to the location marked on his map.

What he found when he arrived was a relatively large skirmish underway on the beach: a group of clearly Tevinter soldiers fighting a shockingly diverse company of mercenaries. One stood out among the rest, though: a hulking Qunari, easily seven and a half feet tall, with giant horns and armed with the largest axe. Clearly The Iron Bull. He cut down Tevinter soldiers left and right with ease. Another man from the group drew his swords and quickly jumped into the fray to help dispatch the Tevinters on the shoreline.

When the fighting was over, Bull approached him. "Chargers, stand down!" The Qunari sat down on a boulder nearby and reached into his pouch, pulling out a cloth and cleaning his great axe. "Krem, how'd we do?"

"Five or six wounded, chief, no dead,” The young man who had given him the message at Haven called from across the beach.

"That's what I like to hear, let the throat cutters finish up, then break out the casks” He stood and walked towards the greenette. “So you're with the Inquisition, huh? Glad you could make it, I heard a lot about you guys, come on, have a seat. Drinks are coming."

Izuku looked at the qunari nervously.

"Chief, don't offer drinks to kids" Krem said with a blank look before giving the teen an apologetic smile.

"Why not! I started drinking when I was ten!" The qunari retorted with a laugh.

"Well, he is a human child not a savage from the Qun" The man rolled his eyes before leaving to do his task.

Silvhen eyed the giant man with one eye up and down. "Iron Bull, I take it?" The elf crossed his arms.

"Yeah, the horns usually give it away,” The Qunari laughed heartily before turning to the small greenette. "I assume you remember Cremisius Aclassi, my lieutenant."

Krem approached and gave a small bow. "Glad you didn’t get balled up by Darkspawn in the last hour" He joked before turning his attention to his commander. "Throat cutters are done, chief"

"Already? Have 'em check again. I won't want any of those Tevinter bastards getting away, no offense, Krem"

"None taken, least a bastard knows who his mother was, puts him one up on you Qunari, right?" The man retorted back.

Bull let out a belly laugh.

Krem walked away, and Bull turned to Izuku "So… you’ve seen us in action. We're expensive, but we're worth it..." He noted a dead Tevinter Mage nearby. "And I'm sure the Inquisition can afford us."

The greenette looked at the large company of soldiers. “T-The Chargers s-seem like a-an e-excellent c-company” He noted. Iron Bull seemed to run more than a tight ship while still allowing for playful looseness. A telltale sign of a good leader, but…he discreetly the Qunari, he was hiding something…

"They are" The Qunari said, his voice filled with pride, oblivious to the look the greenette was giving him. "But you're not just getting the boys, you're getting me. You need a frontline bodyguard? I'm your man, whatever it is, demons, dragons? The bigger the better."

He stood up and took a few steps away, gesturing for the boy to follow. "And there's one more thing. Might be useful, might piss you off, ever heard of the Ben-Hassrath?"

Varric cursed at hearing that. "You're from the qun?" The dwarf asked warily, at the nod he received his brow furrowed, looking at Izuku he said: "I’m not sure having a spy from the Qun is the best choice of companionship kid"

Cassandra stepped in. “Why are the Ben-Hassrath sending you to join us?” She said as she unsheltered her sword.

Bull bought his hands up in defense at the sudden hostility of the group. “Calm down, we are on the same side on this, the Ben-Hassrath are concerned about the Breach. Magic out of control like that could cause trouble everywhere. I've been ordered to join the Inquisition, get close to the people in charge, and send reports on what's happening. But I also get reports from Ben-Hassrath agents all over Orlais. You sign me on; I'll share them with your people. I won’t send anything to Par Vollen that will compromise the Inquisition’s activities. Just going to keep them updated on what’s going on. The less they know, the better, honestly."

Izuku could read the trained Ben-Hassrath pretty well, maybe it was because he spent years trying to detect when someone was using him, the lies people would spill at him, but he could see through the Qunari, he gave the man a smile. He remembered what Varric and Adaar had told him about the Qun and used it against him.

"I assume that if I don’t accept you, they will send elves to infiltrate the Inquisition since they're less obvious, so I could turn you down and receive spies that will be difficult to locate or I can take you up on your offer and have a spy who I can keep an eye on right?" Izuku said all that with a passive-aggressive smile.

The others shuddered at the lack of stutter and the coldness in the boy’s voice, Silvhen was slightly blushing at seeing the greenette so serious.

Iron Bull blinked slowly, he...didn't expect the boy to actually figure out the Qun's plan, he admits that he feels a little unnerved right now.

He lets out a laugh which usually puts people off but the greenette was still staring right into his soul.

He coughed, scratching the back of his head awkwardly. "Yeah, you got it boss"

"Good!" The teen beamed. “Make sure to send all of your correspondence through Leliana so there won’t be any trouble, see you later Hissrad~” He sing sang the last part before turning to his companions who were watching the scene amusedly.

Iron Bull was left speechless frozen in place.

All right, this was going to be more difficult than he thought, he thought to himself, feeling nervous for the first time in years.

“Ah!” Izuku turned to look at him. “And keep your mouth shut about me being from another world, we wouldn’t want something happening to The Chargers, do we?” Izuku grinned at the shocked face the Qunari made at that, so the man knew about it, uh? Of course what he said was an empty threat but the Iron Bull didn’t need to know that, he could lie and pretend being mean for the sake of others and to protect himself.

That was what he has been doing for years after all.

Adaar has been teaching him to be more secure of himself and how to intimidate people despite him looking like the embodiment of pureness; she said he could use that to throw people off, he was quite proud of himself for being able to do intimidate a Qunari from all people.

Silvhen was looking at him strangely, a blush on his cheeks while the others were staring at him in surprise.

Varric whistled. “I didn’t know you could be this scary greeny” He said taken aback, Blackwall was sweating nervously at his side, not expecting the green bean to act like that so out of sudden. 

The greenette felt his face heating up feeling self-conscious. “I-I just w-want to give him a-a w-warning. Mo-Adaar h-has told me a-about the Q-Qun and I-I don’t want h-him to get too c-comfortable”

They all noticed his slip up, smiling at how he almost called Lady Adaar of mom.

By the way, the woman wasn’t going to be happy about this development.

* * *

When they arrived at Haven they didn’t expect to see Iron Bull being thrown across a tree, The Chargers running to his aid in panic.

Adaar looked furious.

She lifted him from the floor with a single hand, holding his horn. “You lay a hand on my kid and I’ll destroy you in a way that not even the Qun would approve” She glared at the other Qunari. “Stay away from him, only talk to him when he addresses to you and if I hear anything about you reporting something that can harm him to the Qun, you will die by my blade, understood?” She snarled, barring her sharp teeth.

Iron Bull nodded quickly, outside he looked apathetically, inside he was panicking, he didn’t expect this, the moment he put his feet in Haven this Quanri woman (Who was taller than him, like really taller than him, he had to look up to talk to her!) had give him a look and immediately could tell that he was from the Qun, she tackled him and threw him with such a force that he was sure that he has cracked a couple of ribs.

He didn’t even know the woman’s son! He understood her concern though, he was never a fan of the hunters, they would hunt down any qunari outside the Qun for being savage, kill the children or take them from the dead parents to serve the Qun, so yeah, her reaction was understandable.

“Oh hello Izuku” The woman said cheerfully as soon as she spotted the greenette, her previous demeanor completely gone, she let The Iron Bull fall on his ass.

Iron Bull watched in confusion as the woman walked towards the Herald and took him in her arms, kissing his forehead softly and taking in his scent.

Oh…the Herald is her kid…great; he knows now where the little shit got his intimidation from.

After this the male Qunari will do his best to avoid the giant woman, she could totally snap him in half like a twig…that was absolutely **_hot,_** Adaar had defined muscles, he is sure that she could crush his head between her thighs like he was a melon, but he didn’t want to die so soon, so yeah, he was going to avoid the woman...for now.

The tall woman passed past him with the boy in her arms, she threw him a threatening look before she disappeared into the crowd.

Shit, she was really hot.

The Chargers only sighed at their chief's antics. He was going to get himself killed one of these days for being so horny...ha, horny...

* * *

Izuku was talking with the advisors, minus Cullen who was still in a bad mood since the last meeting, Leliana’s spies had come back with bad news, apparently, the Templars were taking red lyrium, some were being forced while others supported the demon disguised as Lord Seeker Lucius.

So the greenette was planning the ambush, tomorrow they would send Cullen with a couple of ex-templars and Herah Adaar to meet with Ser Barris (Cullen would be able to shrug off Envy's trap since he is a templar already).

Izuku and the other would go after the mages since he felt more comfortable with talking with them despite the invitation obviously being a trap.

So now, Silvhen was sulking at the tavern, poking his food with no interest in eating while his friend was occupied planning things out.

“What has you in a sour mood broody?” Varric asked the elf as he sat at his side.

Silvhen looked at him like he wasn’t sure if he should say it or not, blushing slightly he decided that he may as well ask for help. “At Val Royaeux, I couldn’t find any notebooks…I wanted to give one that wasn’t so simple to Izuku…” He muttered.

“Wait, white bunny here is crushing on greeny!?” Sera said loudly behind him.

“Kaffas!” The teen startles, he turns abruptly to glare at the blond elf. “Be quiet!”

Sera grinned widely. “Awww if that ain’t cute I don’t know what is” She giggled wiggling her eyebrows at him which earned her a pained groan from the boy.

Varric cackled at the teen’s suffering. “If I knew anyone who could make customized notebooks I would tell you broody”

Sera perked up at thinking of something, she turned to the elf boy excitedly. “Here, listen, you help me play some pranks around with a certain advisor tonight and I’ll help ya get your gift to greeny, yeah?” She offered, she had some contacts that could help and deliver the thing quickly before the sun disappeared on the horizon.

“Why would you help me?” Silvhen asked suspiciously, this was too good to be true, he hasn’t found a good notebook anywhere in their travels.

“Take this as an apology for me scarring greeny when we met” Sera said awkwardly, she still feels bad for killing that noble in front of the boy. “Heard blondie has been a bitch towards green bit, so yeah” What better apology than making the man pay for being a whiny bitch and helping the Herald’s soon to be boyfriend with his gift! Ha! She was a genius!

Silvhen eyed her carefully before shaking her hand with a grin. “Deal”

That night you could hear Cullen screeching all around Haven, those who were still awake watched as the ex-templar stormed his way through the village red on the face smelling a strong scent of urine. They all gagged at the smell, some throwing up, Halla’s piss was known to be the most outrageous smell in Thedas.

You could hear two elves cackling from the top of the Chantry before they disappeared into the darkness.

They agreed to piss off the commander for the next couple of days, it was too fun not to.

* * *

After that Sera had given him a couple of notebooks as she promised, they were perfect, Silvhen has no idea how she managed to get them so quickly especially when they were customized, he wanted to pay her but she refused to let him spend his coin with it.

When he went to his room, he found Izuku muttering to himself about tomorrow’s ambush, he made a move to take a notebook and whimpered when he remembered that he still didn’t have one.

He coughed, getting the attention of the freckled boy.

He approached him sitting on the bed at his side. “I got you something” Silvhen said shyly as handed him a notebook, the hardcover was dark blue craved in gold with the greenette’s first name, there was a symbol of the Inquisition under his name. The pages were a thick kind of paper that wouldn’t tear easily, something that only nobles managed to buy in Thedas, he could tell that it had around 500 pages from how thick it is, it looked like one of those ancient books that were full of details on the cover, it had tiny little diamonds in the corners, it was beautiful.

Izuku looked at it with his eyes shining in awe, he caressed the cover carefully, the golden cravings looked amazing. “I-I, w-why would you-this l-looks so expensive!” He meets his friend’s eyes “Y-You didn’t h-have to get me a-anything, I-I’m barely w-worth receiving s-such a gift”

The white-haired elf frowned; he took the boy’s hand on his, shyly. “Look, you are my friend, and trust me when I say that you’re totally worth receiving gifts. You have been a great friend to me and I wanted to give you something that you wanted…” He took another five similar notebooks from his bag, earning a gasp from the freckled boy, each one had a unique hardcover with small gems craved into it.

The greenette felt his heart racing, his face heating up a bit as he looked into each notebook, he felt tears gather at the edge of his eyes, looking up he gave his friend a bright thankful smile. “T-Thank y-you Silvhen!” he said through tears.

He put his newly acquired gifts on top of his bed and tackled his friend into a tight hug, resting his head on the taller boy’s shoulder.

The other was quick to return the embrace a relieved smile on his face.

“I’m glad you like it, ma vhenan” He whispered into the boy's green curls. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Kaffas - Means 'shit' in Tevene.
> 
> Ma Vhenan - Means 'My heart' in elvhen, sometimes shortened simply to vhenan, "heart"; a term of endearment.
> 
> About the Qun - https://dragonage.fandom.com/wiki/Qun
> 
> \- - -
> 
> So next chapter we are finally going to meet the mages, you know what that means, angst! >:3c


	10. In Hushed Whispers

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is...9.146 words...I'm tired, I've spent the entire day writing this, I feel numb right now.
> 
> So I would appreciate it if you all commented, I'll sleep now for two days straight. 
> 
> \- Izuku and the gang meet with the mages.  
> \- Silvhen meets a friend again.  
> \- Dark Future (Warning, there are mentions of rape, abortion, torture etc...)  
> \- I hurt my boys and mama Adaar.  
> \- Izuku finally kills.  
> \- Some fluff after all the terrible things that happened.
> 
> BTW! It's 2 AM so I if there are shit that doesn't make sense I'm so sorry :"^)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter has yet to be beta read! If anyone wants to beta read it contact me!
> 
> [My Tumblr](https://ultra-bitchlord.tumblr.com/)  
>  **Please leave comments and kudos, tell me what you liked about the chapter, it helps me keep motivated to keep writing and to actually know if you guys are liking my work!**
> 
> \--------------
> 
> I have a Discord Server<https://discord.gg/7GC3puC> You guys can chat and share anything you like, I'll be warning you when a chapter is coming up and posting some fanart from time to time.

Refreshed from an actual night’s sleep, they finally left for Redcliffe. There was a rift that needed closing immediately at the start of Redcliffe Road, but other than that, their journey was relatively uneventful until they arrived at the closed gates of the village. There was a dormant rift right in front of them.

“I want a constant watch on that damned thing!” A woman scout shouted. “Sound the alarm at the first sign of demons.”

The group was ready for battle in an instant.

As both Cassandra and Iron Bull moved closer to the rift, it opened up, spewing four terror demons. Cassandra and Solas took the first, Varric and SIlvhen ganged up on the second one, and Iron Bull and Sera advanced on the third.

Cassandra was unfortunate to step on the circle on the ground, it slowed her down, she tried to get away from it but a Shade Demon was about to hit her from behind, an arrow hit the demon before it could strike, Izuku let out a sigh of relief from being able to hit his target.

The Seeker finally was able to step out of the circle with the help of Iron who had extended his giant axe so she could grab it and he pulled her out of the circle.

The others who noticed what happened proceeded to avoid the circles on the floor.

Varric, ever the brave brave soul to try out new things, stood with one foot inside a yellow circle. His crossbow fired arrows one after another with unprecedented speed. “This is great!” he called out with a grin.

They dealt with one more wave of demons, and once those were gone, Izuku closed the rift with a bang.

“Ugh,” Bull grunted. "Magic" The Qunari muttered bitterly, Sera nodded equally outraged.

“What was that shit!?” Sera said frowning, looking at the where the rift previously was like it offended her.

“Fascinating” Solas murmured, he received a glare from the blond elven woman.

“Maker have mercy! It’s over?” A voice called out from behind them. “Open the gates!”

One of the Inquisition's scouts greeted them with a salute. “We spread the word the Inquisition was coming, but you should know that no one here was expecting us,” He warned them.

Izuku and his companions already knew that, the greenette's theory that the Enchanter Fiona they met was being controlled solidified even more at that

Passing through the gates, they saw a group of soldiers praying in front of a chantry mother. They couldn’t tell if they were locals, or from Tevinter, but their scared faces made Izuku's gut twist in sympathy.

The group walked past them and farther into the village. The closer they got to the shore of the lake, the more aware Izuku became of Redcliffe Village’s rather impressive size. People were mingling about, talking, whispering, and doing their daily jobs and chores. Some were from the local Chantry, while others were mages and locals. It was hard to tell them apart in the crowd.

There were also several Venatori soldiers, situated near the entrances and exits.

They all made their way straight to the Gull and Lantern, Sera and Varric stayed outside in case something happened. The tavern was quiet, but not entirely without patrons. A large table in the corner had been cleared out for our negotiations.

“Welcome, agents of the Inquisition,” Grand Enchanted Fiona greeted them. “What has brought you to Redcliffe?”

“We’re here because of your invitation back in Val Royeaux” Silvhen said not in the mood for stalling.

“You must be mistaken” Fiona said with a frown. “I haven’t been to Val Royeaux since before the Conclave.”

"Well, we think you've been controlled to go after us, do you by any chance forgot a small portion of the previous day?" Solas asked curiously.

"I-" The elven woman started but pause right after, she seemed to think and struggled to remember something, her eyes widened. "I can't remember, but why would anyone...” She shook her head. “Whoever, or whatever brought you here, the situation has changed.”

“The free mages have already pledged themselves to the service of the Tevinter Imperium” Fiona explained, regret dripping from her voice.

“This right here is why you can’t trust mages” Bull muttered earning a glare from the mages of the group, he backed away slightly, and both hands rose in defense.

“An alliance with Tevinter?” Cassandra asked. “Do you not fear all of Thedas turning against you?”

Solas shook his head. “I understand that you’re afraid, but you deserve better than slavery to Tevinter.”

Fiona looked down. “As one indentured to a magister, I no longer have the authority to negotiate with you.”

“You’ve made a huge mistake, you know that, right?” Silvhen asked in disappointment, he felt uneasy at knowing that they were under Tevinter’s mages hands.

“All hope of peace died with Justinia” Fiona said, her face twisting in sorrow. “This... bargain with Tevinter would not have been my first choice, but we had no choice, we are losing this war, I needed to save as many of my people as I could”

The tavern door opened, and a middle-aged mage in fine Tevinter armor stepped inside. He was flanked by an entourage of minions and a younger man in his early thirties.

“Welcome, my friends!” The man called out with a fake cheer which both Izuku and Iron Bull caught on. “I apologize for not greeting you earlier.”

Fiona turned her gaze to him. “Agents of the Inquisition, allow me to introduce Magister Gereon Alexius.”

“The southern mages are under my command” Alexius said, and turned his sharp gaze towards Izuku who didn’t whimper as he usually did, he held the man’s gaze with his own. “And you are the survivor, yes? The one from the Fade? Interesting.”

“S-So...” Izuku trailed off, suddenly very uncomfortable. “W-Where are the Arl and his men?”

“The Arl of Redcliffe has left the village” Alexius said like he didn’t understand what the big deal was.

“Arl Teagan did not abandon his lands during the Blight, even when they were under siege,” Cassandra pointed out, frowning.

“There were... tensions growing,” Alexius added. “I did not want an incident.”

“You’re quite the long way from Tevinter” Silvhen pointed out.

“Indeed I am,” Alexius said and glanced to the elf boy, eyes narrowing. “I know you from somewhere…”

The elf froze in place, he tried to subdue his panic and to love away from the line of sight from the man but it was in vain, the Magister’s eyes widened in recognition.

“Ah, Danarius’ daughter’s pet” The man said through a grin. “I’m surprised you managed to escape, she usually keeps her favorite slaves close to her”

Izuku’s blood boiled with anger at the way the man was talking to his friend, fits clenching as he almost let out a growl, why would he bring this up? Just to see the fear in Silvhen’s eyes?

The greenette forced a smile on his face, his lips stretched tight across the face and the teeth concealed “If you’re leading the mages now, let’s talk. I’m sure we can come to an arrangement that can profit both parties” He said through gritted teeth.

Alexius' smile fell from his face as he felt a chill go through his spine at the boy’s cold tone. “Of course…It’s always a pleasure to meet a reasonable… man”

They sat down. “Felix, would you sent for a scribe?” Alexius called out.

Felix bowed at them silently, and immediately left the room.

“Pardon my manners, friends that was my son Felix” Alexius explained. He leaned back in his chair and looked back at Izuku who was still looking at him with a tight-lipped smile. “I am not surprised you are here. Containing the Breach is not a feat that many could even attempt. There is no telling how many mages would be needed for such an endeavor. Ambitious, indeed.”

Izuku’s smile didn’t falter for a single second, he could see with the corner of his eyes Cassandra and Solas comforting a distressed Silvhen. “Well, when you’re fighting the sky itself, you can hardly afford to think small.”

“There will have to—”

Felix stumbled back into the room, he looked paler than before.

Izuku jumped up from his seat read to assist. The man took a few steps forward, and fell straight into Izuku’s arms who was small and had just started to gain some muscles, Cassandra helped him out they both gently lowered Felix down on his knees. “Hey?” The greenette asked, actually concerned. “A-Are you o-okay?”

“Felix!” Alexius called out.

“My Lord, I’m so sorry, please forgive me” Felix said, letting go of the teen. “I’m fine.”

Only then Izuku realized that he’d somehow slipped me a small note, he clenched his fist to hide it from view.

“Are you sure you’re all right?” Alexius asked, helping his son to stand.

“I’m fine, father,” Felix repeated.

Alexius gestured towards the door. “Come, I’ll get your powders” He said and glanced at the group. “Please excuse me, friends. I shall send word to the Inquisition, and we will conclude this business at a later date.” He walked past Fiona. “Fiona, I require your assistance back at the castle.”

“I don’t mean to trouble anyone” Felix said weakly, following his dad and Fiona.

Once the door had closed behind them, Izuku glanced down at the note. “Come to the Chantry,” He read out loud. “You’re in danger.”

“Did the magister’s son give you that?” Cassandra asked in disbelief. “Why would he help you?”

“Mysterious,” Bull muttered. “And it may be a trap” The Qunari pointed out.

They were going to make their to the Chantry when Izuku’s eyes stopped on a man dressed in mage robes with a telltale sign of the sunburst brand burned onto his forehead.

He frowned, looking around he noticed everyone was avoiding the man, Leliana had told him how people felt unnerved by the Tranquil, maybe he could help somehow?

“E-Excuse me” The greenette said. “Who are y-you?”

He turned around, and Izuku felt a shiver run up his spine at his vacant stare. “I’m Clemence, what can I help you with?”

“I-I have n-noticed that no o-one here s-seems to l-like your p-presence” He said.

“Ah, yes, the Tevinter Magister doesn’t want the presence of us Tranquil on his hold, we will be kicked out in a couple of days” The man said serenely.

Well that just cruel, why kicked them out? “I-I was w-wondering if y-you’d like to j-join the I-Inquisition, instead, w-we’d love to h-have you.”

“That would certainly be... helpful” The tranquil mage said, if the man could feel any emotion he would have smiled.

He paused. “That is a strange offer, other don’t usually like our presence…” He said bluntly. “But we have no choice but to accept your offer. I am an alchemist, so perhaps I can be of use to the Inquisition.”

“I’m sure your skills will be appreciated” Solas said with a smile. “You’ll find Inquisition scouts at the gates. They’ll escort you onwards towards Haven.”

“Thank you,” Clemence said. “While one lives, it is good to know there is still use for one’s talents.”

After that they made their way to the Chantry, the entrance hall was dark and quiet. There was an occasional lit candle near the walls, but most of the light came from the end of the hall, where sunlight streamed through massive, stained glass windows. The heavy doors closed behind them, and they heard sounds of combat.

Izuku hurried his steps, and came to a stop in the middle of the large Chantry. Magical attacks targeted at two shades flared up, one after another, lighting up the room with a soft glow. In the middle of it all stood a mage dressed in an elegant, white outfit with a high collar. With just a flick of his staff, both of the shades disintegrated in an instant. He turned to look at the group with a raised eyebrow.

“Good, you’re finally here!” A dark-skinned man said. “Now, help me close this thing, would you?”

The rift behind the mysterious man cracked open, demons came through, the mages and archers of the group kept distance taking cover, while the warriors killed their way to the rift.

The second they killed all the demons, Izuku hurriedly lifted his hand, the rift closed with a bang, and Dorian turned to the greenette curiously “Fascinating. How does that work exactly?” he asked, and then chuckled. “You don’t even know, do you? You just wiggle your little fingers and boom, rift closes.”

“W-Who are y-you?”

“Ah, getting ahead of myself again I see” He bowed exaggeratedly. “Dorian of House Pavus, most recently of Minrathous, how do you do?

“Watch yourself” Iron Bull muttered. “The pretty ones are always the worst.”

Cassandra nodded at the Qunari's side. "Another Tevinter, be cautious of this one"

Izuku waved his hand shyly. “I-I'm Izuku” He said, bowing. “N-Nice to m-meet y-you, D-Dorian.”

“Suspicious friends you have here” Dorian said with a cautious glance at Bull and Cassandra. He turned back to me. “Alexius was once my mentor, so my assistance should be valuable, as I’m sure you can imagi-” The man stopped, his eyes going wide as he looked behind Izuku stunned.

They all looked directly to where the Tevinter mage was looking only to find Silvhen giving the man a soft smile.

"Hello Dorian”

“Vishante Kaffas! You’re alive!” Dorian laughed happily as he approached the elven boy and tackled him into a hug, spinning him around.

“You know each other?” Cassandra was the one to ask exchanging a look with the other who watched the scene equally shocked, minus Bull, he hid his feelings well.

The elf boy was patting the Tevinter mage on the back as he turned to look at her. “Yeah, he was the one to help me escape Lidrianne”

“A Tevinter mage that free elven slaves? Uh…and I thought I have seen everything” Varric said surprised, lowering his crossbow.

“Oh please, not all of us are okay with the slavery in Tevinter, especially when it’s about slave children” Dorian said rolling his eyes, he put the elven teen back to his feet but not before shuffling his long hair, Silvhen groaned and slapped his hand away as he tried to fix his hair.

“Where is Felix?” The elf teen asked worriedly.

Dorian gave him a smile. “I'm sure he is on his way” He turned to look at Izuku “He was to give you the note, then meet us here after ditching his father”

“I-Is he sick?” The greenette asked with furrowed brows.

Dorian gave him a sad look. “He is tainted; he and his mother were attacked by darkspawn” The Tevinter mage sounded guilty, if only he was there when the attack happened, then maybe he would have managed to save both Felix and Livia Arida.

In 9:38 Dragon when tragedy struck, Livia and Gereon traveled to the Orlesian capital of Val Royeaux to visit Felix at university, planning to return together to Minrathous for the winter holidays as was their custom. While crossing southern Tevinter, the traveling party was attacked by hurlocks. Although they were driven off, Livia was killed and Felix was badly injured, infected by the incurable darkspawn corruption.

“Ah, shit” Iron bull muttered, he hated those creatures, took the lives of many of the Qun.

Izuku knew a bit about the darkspawn, it was like a zombie, if you got infected you either turn into one or die, he looked at his side, Silvhen was looking down mournful, ear tilted back.

“Shitty darkspawn” Sera said bitterly, she was there when Denerim was covered in darkspawn, and she barely managed to survive.

“My condolences” Cassandra said in understatement, she had watched many people having to kill their loved ones because of the taint.

“Your sentiment is appreciated” Dorian inclined his head slightly before meeting Izuku’s eyes. “Look, you must know there is danger, that should be obvious even without the note, let's start with the claiming the allegiance of the mage rebels out from under your little freckled nose” He paused for dramatic effect. “As if with magic, yes?”

Izuku agreed that it was very convenient that this happened; it was like the man knew…

Dorian continued. “Which is exactly right, to reach Redcliffe before the Inquisition, Alexius distorted time itself”

Cassandra couldn’t believe it. “He arranged it so he could arrive here just after the Divine died?!”

The man turned to the warrior. “You catch on quick Seeker”

“Manipulating time itself? Shit” Varric massaged his temples tiredly. “Why weird shit always happens when I’m involved”

Both Sera and Iron Bull let out a: “Ugh, magic” In disgust.

Solas himself was just looking at the dark-skinned mage in awe, being the nerd that he was.”Are you sure about this? This is the type of magic that many attempted over the ages, but never once sucessed…”

The man nodded firmly. “The rift you closed here? You saw how it twisted time around itself, sped some things up and slowed others down”

“Y-Yes, Cassandra w-was caught i-in one o-of the circles, i-it slowed h-her down” Izuku said exchanging a look with the Seeker who nodded.

“See? Soon there will be more like it and they'll appear further and further away from Redcliffe” The man continued. “The magic Alexius is using is wildly unstable and it’s unraveling the world.

Silvhen was staring at him blankly. “You have helped develop this magic haven’t you?” A ton of anger in his voice.

Dorian nodded ashamedly. “When I was still an apprentice, it was pure theory, Alexius could never get it to work. What I don't understand is why he's doing it? Ripping time to shred just gain a few hundred lackeys?” The man said thoughtfully.

“He didn’t do it for them” Felix said from behind them startling Izuku, the man gave him an apologetic smile for that.

“Took you long enough, is he getting suspicious?”

“No, but I shouldn't have played the illness card, I thought he'd be fussing over me all day” The man said distressed, he thought he would never be able to get out of his chambers ever again after what he did. Looking directly at the greenette he continued. “My father's joined a cult, Tevinter supremacists, they call themselves ‘Venatori’. And I can tell you one thing: whatever he's done for them, he's done to get it to you”

“A-Alexius is your f-father, w-why are you w-working against h-him?” Izuku asked suspiciously.

“For the same reason Dorian works against him, I love my father and I love my country, but this? Cults? Time Magic? What he is doing now is madness” Alexius' expression turned mournful. “For his own sake, you have to stop him” The man pleaded.

“It would also be nice if he didn't rip a hole in time, there's already a hole in the sky” Dorian said rolling his eyes. “You know you are his target, expecting the trap is the first step in turning it to your advantage. I can't stay in Redcliffe, Alexius doesn't know I'm here, and I want to keep it that way for now”

His eyes narrowed. “But whenever you're ready to deal with him, I want to be there, I'll be in touch” He said as he turned to leave, then stopped before throwing a soft look a Silvhen. “And Silvhen? Don’t come here again, Alexius will try taking you back to Danarius’ daughter” He warned.

The elven teen nodded with a bad taste in his mouth, Izuku put a hand on his shoulder in a way of confort, Silvhem gave him a small smile which Dorian noticed and wiggled his eyebrows at him. The elf let out a ‘ugh’ while the others held a snicker.

Felix shook his head with a smile before also biding goodbye and leaving. Now they just need to go back to Haven…

* * *

While they were at Redcliffe they found a young man that was distraught that his family's special ram, Lord Woolsley, has wandered off. Since Izuku had to get ram meat for the villagers at the crossroads anyway, so he accepted the request.

Turns out the ram was a demon…which now that he thinks about it, a talking ram was pretty suspicious but what can he say, his world had a talking rat as a Principal of the most prestigious hero schools in Japan, so yeah, he assumed talking animals was a thing here as well.

While they were back at the Redcliffe village he passed by some merchants and heard an elderly elven widower talking about his visits to his wife's shrine each year, but the fighting between the mages and templars has prevented him from making the trip.

Izuku offered to make the trip for him, the man was surprised that a human child would care for an elder elven's problems; he bowed respectfully and have him the flower to put on the shrine.

The shrine is up the hill near the Forest Inquisition Camp located in Hafter's Woods. Once there the greenette placed the flowers and returned to the elf who shed a tear at knowing his beloved had received his gift.

They helped more people before leaving for Haven once again, Izuku wished Fast Travel existed in the real world, it would make things sooo much easier.

* * *

After four days they arrived back in Haven, and only briefly settled in before being summoned to the War Room. Alexius had sent Izuku an invitation to Redcliffe to officially continue their talk concerning the mages. Everyone else was already inside by the time Izuku entered.

The advisors were discussing among themselves.

“We don't have the manpower to take the castle! Either we find another way in, or give up this nonsense and go get the templars only!” Cullen said impatiently.

The rest of the people in the room groaned, this again? Izuku wanted one conversation with the man that didn’t involve him whining about his decision of going after the mages as well.

Cassandra was the one to speak up. “Redcliffe is in the hands of a magister, this cannot be allowed to stand!”

“The letter from Alexius asked for the Herald of Andraste by name, it's an obvious trap” Josephine the sweetheart said worriedly.

“Redcliffe castles is one of the most defensible fortresses in Ferelden, it has repelled thousands of assaults!” Cullen add his two cents before turning to the greenette. “If you there you will die and we'll lose the only means we have of closing these rifts, I won't allow it”

Oh, Izuku felt something at hearing that, they wanted him just for the mark, of course, they were being nice to him just because of his mark, he was the only person who could close the rift.

When Cullen realized what he said he paled. “I don’t-I didn’t mean it like that!” He said trying to save the situation.

The girls were glaring at him, Leliana wanted to slap him for that, but decided to continue the topic. “If we don't even try to meet Alexius, we lose the mages and leave hostile foreign power on our doorstep!” She said almost snarling at the blond.

“Even if we could assault the keep, it would be for naught” Josephine pointed out. “An 'Orlesian' Inquisition's army marching into Ferelden would provoke a war, our hands are tied”

Cassandra wasn’t going to take that in silence. “The Magister-”

“-has outplayed us” Cullen muttered.

Izuku frowned, he finally decided to speak up. “I-I doubt they'll graciously receive our apologies and go about their business, besides, we can’t just let the mages be controlled by him! Who knows what he’ll do with them! We cannot ignore this situation!” He wasn’t going to just let this happen, he wanted to help them.

The red-headed nodded in agreement. “They will remain a threat and a powerful one unless we act”

“We cannot accept defeat now, there must be a solution…” Cassandra trailed off.

Lelianna seemed to remember something, letting out a gasp she caught everyone’s attention. “Wait, there is a secret passage into the castle, an escape route for the family!” She grinned. “It's too narrow for our troops, but we could send our agents through”

“Too risky, those agents will be discovered well before they reach the magister” Cullen countered.

“That's why we need a distraction, perhaps the envoy Alexius wants so badly?” Leliana said smugly.

Izuku was furiously scribing the ideas on his new notebook, this could work, if he distracts Alexius they have a big chance of taking him down before he could even notice their presence.

Cullen sighed, he seemed to be fighting a lost battle. “While they're focused on Izuku, we break the magister's defense, it could work, but it's a huge risk…”

Like this was a theater, Dorian opened the door like it was a curtain and made a dramatic entrance, both hands on his hips as he made a pose. “Fortunately you’ll have help!”

Behind him, a scout panted as he made his wait to the war room. “T-This man-” *pant* “-says he has information-” *pant* “-about the magister and his methods-“ He wheezed, holding a finger up he took a solid minute to recompose himself he finally said “-commander” Then he practically crackled his way out, closing the door.

That was it, today they were both going to meet up with the Templars and Mages, Cullen was still fuming from what happened last week, you could still feel the smell coming from him, most of his soldier had tears in their eyes as they tried their best to hold their breathes and not run away from the stinky man.

They stared at where the scout disappeared, blinking slowly they all went back to the topic.

Dorian coughed. “Your spies will never get past Alexius's magic without my help, so if you're going after him, I'm coming along”

Cullen sighed, looking at the greenette still ashamed by what he said. “The plan put you in the most danger; we can't in good conscience odder you to do this”

Izuku turned to look at him determined. “I-I want to do this, we need to help them!”

“It’s settled then” Cassandra said in agreement.

* * *

That was it, today they were going to go after both mages and templars, Commander Cullen had his troops ready for the ambush, Ser Barris had sent a message that they would stay out of the way and join the fight when they could. Adaar was going with them to get the Templars, she was the best soldier they had, after all, Iron Bull was quicky to offer himself to go when he heard that, Adaar had given him a glare but didn’t say anything.

Herah Adaar had prepared Izuku’s new armor for him to wear, it was a light armor, looks like leather and chainmail with pauldrons and metal greaves, top part had decorative fasteners

Izuku has received a couple of new daggers from Mahanon before he joined Cullen’s soldiers, he was a mage but the blond understood that he was needed just in case they would need a healer.

Cadash the sweetheart had given her dwarven bow to him as a gift, the greenette has been practicing with her since he arrived in this world, she was proud of how he has gotten better, he hasn’t missed a target it’s been a month, with more training he would be unstoppable.

Since they didn’t want to raise suspicions they decided that Izuku would only take two people with him, Silvhen was disappointed that he wasn’t chosen to go with him but relented when the greenette said that it was for the best in this situation, after all the greenette didn’t want his friend to be at the mercy of Magister Alexius again, Dorian himself had warned them about it.

Izuku, Cassandra, and Solas were ready to depart.

Leliana’s men, consisting of a small group of agents, left just a couple of hours before their departure to Redcliffe. Dorian went with agents since his presence would immediately alert Alexius that something was wrong.

This arrangement Izuku, Cassandra, and Solas traveling to the castle on their own. A couple of their agents were already waiting for them in Redcliffe just like last time, so on the outside nothing seemed to have changed from the group's last visit. The trio was just a ragtag team of people with the Herald of Andraste, ready to strike a deal with the Tevinter magister.

Izuku was serious the entire walk, he couldn't show weakness now.

The scout who had greeted them at the gates motioned for servants to take care of their horses, and then led them to the Castle entrance, where they were met with Alexius’ men. At that point, the scout just nodded a farewell to Izuku and left, as they’d agreed.

“The Herald of Andraste” One of Alexius’ men said curtly. “This way.”

As they walked through the castle, the greenette glanced at his companions. Solas’s face was set in a neutral mask, impossible to decipher. Cassandra was looking around discreetly, memorising every route in case they needed to flee.

At the chamber doors, as they had predicted, Alexius's men tried to make the others stay behind while Izuku entered.

“The Magister’s invitation was for Lord Izuku only” The blond-haired attendant said distastefully. “These others will have to remain here.”

“Where I go, they go,” Izuku said plainly, in a tone that left no room for arguments, Herah would have been around how he didn't stutter.

Cassandra gave the guy her patented unimpressed stare.

The guy fidgeted nervously under her gaze. “Ah… of course. This way please,” He said, and opened the doors, they followed him inside. “My Lord Magister, the agents of the Inquisition have arrived.”

“My friend” Alexius called out, getting up from the throne he had been lounging on as they entered the room. “It’s so good to see you again.” His smile faded a little at the presence of Solas and Cassandra. “And your associates, of course” He hastened to add. “I’m sure we can work out some arrangement that is equitable to all parties.”

Izuku gave him a polite smile, but couldn’t get a word in edgewise; because Fiona took the lull in the conversation took this as an opportunity to voice her opinion. “Are we mages to have no voice in deciding our fate?” She asked.

Alexius gave her a look. “Fiona, you would not have turned your followers into my care if you did not trust me with their lives.”

“If the Grand Enchanter wants to take part in these talks, then the Inquisition welcomes her input" The greenette said, a smile still plastered on his face.

Fiona nodded at him thankfully. “Thank you.”

Alexius nodded and went back to sit on his throne. “The Inquisition needs mages to close the Breach, and I have them.” He paused pointedly. “So, what shall you offer in exchange?”

“I’d much rather discuss your nifty little time magic.” Izuku said smugly.

Lifting his eyebrows in surprise, Alexius gave him a blank look. “I’m afraid I have no idea what you mean.”

Felix turned to his father with a frown. “He knows everything, father.”

“Felix” Alexius said tightly, “What have you done?”

“Your son is only concerned that you’ve gotten yourself mixed up with something terrible” Cassandra said.

Alexius snorted. “Do you think you can turn my son against me?” He seethed and got slowly stood up, stalking towards the greenette “You walk into my stronghold with your stolen Mark, a gift you don’t even understand, and you think you’re in control?” He paused. “You’re nothing but a mistake.”

Izuku didn't flinch but he couldn't stop the memory of his blood-related mother say the same thing to him.

He quickly recomposed himself. “What do you know about events the Conclave?” Izuku asked.

Alexius glared at him, his lip curling in distaste. “It was the Elder One’s moment, and you were unworthy even to stand in his presence.”

“Father, listen to yourself” Felix pleaded. “Do you know what you sound like?”

“He sounds exactly like the sort of villainous cliché everyone expects us to be” Dorian said, walking out from the shadows.

“Dorian.” Alexius looked disappointed. “I gave you a chance to be a part of this. You turned me down. The Elder one has power you would not believe, he will raise the Imperium from its own ashes.”

“Make the Imperium great again, huh?” The dark-skinned mage snorted.

Alexius pointedly ignored him. “He will make the world bow to mages once more. We will rule from the Boeric Ocean to the Frozen Seas.”

“You can’t involve my people in this!” Fiona called out.

Dorian tried pleading with his mentor. “Alexius, this is exactly what you and I talked about never wanting to happen! Why would you support this?”

“Stop it, father!” Felix joined in. “Give up the Venatori, ket the southern mages fight the Breach, and let’s go home.”

“No!” Alexius said. “It’s the only way, Felix. He can save you!”

Felix tilted his head in confusion. “Save me?” Before his expressions turned into one of horrified realization.

“There is a way…” Alexius trailed off. “The Elder One promised. If I undo the mistake at the Temple…”

“I’m going to die” Felix said, his voice cracking. “You need to accept that.”

Alexius completely ignored him. “Seize them, Venatori! The Elder One demands this man’s life.”

But it was too late. Leliana and her agents were already inside the castle, and they took down the last of the Venatori in the hall. They dropped dead in front of Alexius’ eyes.

“Your men are dead, Alexius,” Cassandra said.

“You. Are. A Mistake!” Alexius growled, and prepared to cast a spell. “You should never have existed!”

“No!” Dorian yelled, jumping in front of Izuku and casting a counterspell. It caused a magical backlash, throwing the two of them violently back in a sudden burst of magic.

They found themselves landing on their butts in ankle-deep water, a little disoriented, but still in one piece. Izuku hastened to get back on his feet, Dorian offered his hand to pull him up, he accepted with a grimace.

“Blood of the Elder one!” They heard a Venetori soldier say as they noticed their presence.

“Where’d come from?!” The other said exclaimed.

Dorian took care of most of the fighting, the space they were in was to tight, so Izuku had no room to use his arrows.

When they were done Dorian seemed thoughtful. “Displacement? Interesting” The mage said, looking around. “It’s probably not what Alexius intended. The rift must have moved us, but… what?” He bet down to look at the floor. “To the closest confluence of arcane energy?”

Izuku was looking around in panic, he couldn’t find Cassandra neither Solas, it was only the two of them.

“T-The last thing I remember we w-were in the castle hall” The greenette said confused.

“Let's see if we are still in the castle, it isn't..oh! Of course! It's not simply where-it's when!” The dark-skinned man said excited. “Alexius used the amulet as a focus, it moves us through time!”

Izuku blinked in surprise, how far had they gone back? Or maybe forwards? This is no good, how will they come back?

He probably said that out loud since Dorian gave him an apologetic smile. “Let's look around, see where the rift took us, then we can figure out how to get back” ‘if we can’ went unsaid. “don’t worry, I protect you” The man said trying to reassure him.

Leaving the room and looking around, they came across a handful of guards, but they were all either alone or in groups of two, so they were able to take care of them on their own. The lower they went into the dungeons, the more empty cell they found, until-

They found Enchanter Fiona being consumed by red lyrium. “You’re…alive how?” Her voice was an echo of what it once was. “I saw you…disappear…into the rift”

Izuku was looking at her horrified, she was barely all there. “F-Fiona, is that you?” He asked worriedly.

“What’s….left of me” She replied sadly.

Dorian broke out from his shock. “Can you tell us the date? Is very important!”

The elven woman tried her best to speak out. “Havestmere...9:42 Dragon”

Izuku didn’t know how the date worked in this world so when he saw the horrified look on his companion’s face he didn’t like it one bit.

“Nine forty- ** _two_**? Then we've missed an entire year!” The man said in panic.

“You must beware. Alexius...serves the elder one, more powerful...than the Maker...no one...challenges him and lives” Fionar said barely staying awake.

“Our only hope is to find the amulet Alexius used to send us here” Dorian said after recomposing himself.

“Please!...end my…suffering….I beg you” The woman cried as she pleaded for mercy.

Izuku went pale, he knew she was in pain, knew she was suffering, and yet her request still made him feel sick to his stomach.

Dorian had this serene look on his face, he sighed warily nodding as he approached the cell, he turned to look at the horrified greenette. “Look away Herald”

Izuku complied, he turned away and closed his eyes as he put both hands on his ears, he could see through his eyelids a blue color flashing then nothing, just like that the woman was dead.

He felt tears rolling down his face, Dorian put a hand on his shoulder squeezing it gently, it took a couple of minutes for the greenette to finally stand up, his eyes still closed, the man frowned at seeing his reaction, he had thought that the Herald had seen enough death already, but still…he was just a child, he shouldn’t have to be going through this.

He grabbed the greeenette’s hand and dragged him gently out of the room, they made their way to the other cells quietly.

Izuku’s eyes were glassy as he stared at Cassandra’s corpse, red lyrium coming out from her skin, both her wrists were slit, probably committed suicide so she wouldn’t have to bear the pain any longer.

In the cell at her right, Solas was sitting on the floor, his face paler than it already was, he startled as he saw Izuku and Dorian. “You’re alive! No, we saw you die!

“The spells Alexius cast displeased us in time” Dorian explained as Izuku lock picked the cell’s door. “We just got here so to speak”

“Can you reverse the process? You could return, it may not be too late!” The bald elf said desperately.

Izuku was eyeing the elven man with tears in his eye. “Y-You look ill, is there anything we can do to help?” He asked hopefully.

Solas’ expressions softened as he looked at the greenette. “I’m dying but it’s no matter, you can undo this, we call all be saved, but you know nothing of this world. It is far worse than you understand, Alexius serves a master, the Elder One, his minions assassinated Empress Celene and used the chaos to invade the south, this Elder One command an army of demons , after you stop Alexius you must be prepared” He warned seriously.

Izuku nodded depressingly, he just wanted to help his friend from this future, he looked back to Cassandra’s dead body, he wished he could have saved them, it doesn’t matter if he goes back to his time, these people in this timeline suffered and died because of Alexius, he felt anger, he had never hated someone, but now...

They dealt with a couple more guards, and then came to a hallway with several doors. Sound of talking drifted from behind one of them.

“You will break!” A deep voice growled out.

Someone laughed. “I will die first.”

It was Leliana!

“Maybe I’ll have fun with you, maybe then you will break, just like that bitch oxen woman Herah Adaar” The man said smugly.

Then, the sound of a gauntlet meeting flesh. Dorian and Izuku exchanged glances and hurried to the door. Dorian kicked it open.

At their entrance, the interrogator whirled around, and Leliana took advantage of his distraction. She hoisted her legs up on top of the guy's shoulders and then squeezed his neck until he fell limp on the floor.

Izuku tried to ignore what happened and went to get the keys to the shackles from him, and unlocked the restraints holding her in place.

“You’re alive,” Leliana said, frowning at the three of them.

“Time travel” Solas said as an explanation using a healing spell on her, she looked terrible

Leliana rubbed her wrists, nodding.

“Aren’t you curious about what happened?” Dorian asked.

“Not particularly,” Leliana said. She rummaged through the interrogator's pockets for another set of keys. “Whatever happened, happened.”

“S-So, Dorian and I need to get this weird time amulet from Alexius. Do you know i-if he’s still in the castle?”

Leliana narrowed her eyes. “You’re going back.”

Izuku grimaced. “Y-Yeah, I want to stop this from happening.”

“Fine” Leliana said curtly. “Yes, Alexius is still in the castle. He has barricaded himself into the main hall.”

Izuku panicked as he remembered what the man had said. “Where is Herah?” Did he hear that right? The man mentioned her name, what did he meant that they have broken her?

Lelliana’s expression softened. “I’m sorry Herald, they took Adaar…they forced themselves onto her, every time she gave birth they would kill the newborn in front of her, they broke her, the woman you once knew is long gone.”

Dorian and Izuku were horrified, the latter wanted to vomit, Solas looked down with a frown.

“N-No! They can’t have done that to her! Where is she?”

“Heral-“

“ ** _Where is she?!?!”_**

Leliana sighed wearily, she knew he wouldn’t just let go, she walked away from the room and led them to another one across the hall. Locking picking it she opened the door, she didn’t dare to look inside, Adaar has been her friend, she didn’t want to see the damage.

Izuku let out a sob at what he saw, there was his mother, chained up, around her there were a couple of bloodied fetuses, her belly was cut open, there were bruises and cut all over her body.

“Mom!” He ran towards her.

Adaar turned her head slowly, facing him with unfocused eyes, her vision was blurry but the familiar green hair was enough to trigger a memory. “G-Green bit” Her voice was hoarse from lack of use or worse, from screaming.

“By the maker, please….I want to see my little boy and my sweet girl again… let me join them” She begged looking directly at Dorian, she probably didn’t even recognize any of them, she was just praying that the soldiers would finally take pity on her and take her life.

Izuku took her face on both his hands gently. “M-Mom! It’s me! I’m here, I’m alive!” The tears wouldn’t stop falling, his hands were trembling.

“I don’t think she can recognize you, kid” Dorian said mournfully, his heart hurts for the kid, how could they have done this? He can’t believe Alexius would order his Venatori to do such a thing...

“Please…kill me” The Qunari woman whispered through tears, blood coming spilling from her lips, she was looking into Izuku’s eyes.

Izuku trembled, falling to his knees he sobbed as he braced himself, they hurt the only person who has shown him, love, she didn’t deserve this, his mother didn’t deserve this.

Solas crouched at his side laying a hand on his o back and making circles with his hand. “I can do it for you, I’ll make it painless”

The only response he got from the boy was a weak nod.

Solas made it quick, just like last time Izuku closed his eyes, though this time it took more than a couple of minutes for him to be able to move again, he was in shock what he saw here will scar him for life, the image not leaving his mind.

Eventually, the adults managed to draw him out of the room, Leliana couldn’t meet his eyes, she closed the room’s door, she was glad they put an end to the Qunari woman’s suffering, she could still hear the cries of Adaar that she had to bear hearing the entire year.

They walked in silence after that, Izuku who has always been the more talkative of the group couldn’t utter a word after what he saw.

Fighting their way out of the castle was both easier and harder than they expected. They were able to handle the occasional Venatori guards on their own, but the closer they got to the main level, the more people there were. And more mages, who were unpredictable at best. There still weren’t as many enemies as they had expected to see, but with just the four of them, even these ones presented a challenge. In the end, they ended up sneaking their way around, just to make sure that they didn’t get into a fight they couldn’t handle. It wouldn’t do them any good if some stray guard were to sneak away to alert the rest of them.

Izuku had killed a few people, he should be crying his eyes out, screaming in horror, but he couldn’t bring himself to care, these people had tortured those he loved, they took everything from him, for the first time he had a place that he belonged, friends who cared for him, someone who had loved him and they took that from him and crushed it into pieces.

Dorian was looking at him worriedly at his sudden apathetic feelings towards killing. 

Finally, they made it outside, and the sight of the sky made both of us pause. Leliana watched our reactions carefully.

“Vishante kaffas.” Dorian Muttered.

It looked absolutely horrifying. The swirling breach had grown and grown until it looked like it might swallow the rest of Thedas with it. Izuku could barely tell the time of the day because the green glow overshadowed the sun.

They fought their way through the demons, closing the rifts and then fighting even more Venatori, they arrived at where Alexius was hiding, the door could only be opened with five red lyrium shards.

The shards were all being held by spellbinders (one of which has already been wiped out). The second spellbinder is on the current level, in a room off the NW corner. Heading back to the main hall and proceeding directly across to the other they turned right and entered the next door on the left. Heading upstairs to the Upper Royal Wing and entering the open archway into a corridor. The spellbinder was in the first room on the right, which was a dilapidated library, this way they acquired another shard after killing all the Venatori.

Proceeding down the long corridor to the next room. Upon entering, Immediately to the right is a ladder leading to more scaffolding. The spellbinder was behind a desk adjacent to the eastern wall.

I another room the spellbinder is by himself in the middle room. However, bashing one of the walls to get to him will alert him immediately, Lelianna quickly killed him before he could even react.

After getting the five lyrium shard they proceed down the corridor and entered the main hall, they placed the hard into the big door and finally were facing Alexius who was with his back towards them

At Alexius’ side, there was a figure hunched over, the person looked up at the noise.

Izuku and Dorian froze in place at realizing who it was.

Silvhen looked at Izuku with unfocused eyes, there was a sunburst brand burned onto his forehead. They made him Tranquil, they stripped the boy from his emotions, turned him into an emotionless doll.

“No…” Dorian said in shock, a tear threatening to fall

“Hello Herald, it’s been a long time” His friend said, tone of voice not betraying any emotion.

Dorian clenched his fists in anger “How could you do this?” He exclaimed, something caught his attention, he looked at the other side of the throne and noticed a ghoul version of Felix. “What have you done to them!?”

Before Magister Alexius could even utter a word an arrow hit his throat, he gagged, one hand taking the arrow off as the other tried to stop the blood, but it in vain, less than a minute his body fell to the floor lifeless.

Everyone turned to look at Izuku in shock who was staring ahead with unfocused eyes.

Dorian went to check on Felix only to get to the conclusion that the man was better off dead, he wasn’t Felix anymore, that was just a ghoul, the man he knew had died a long time ago.

The man went to the corpse of his old friend Alexius and took the amulet off his hands. “This the same amulet he used before, I think it's the same one we made in Minrathous, that's a relief” He turned to Izuku who was still standing in the same place, both Solas and Lelianna were looking at the boy in concern.

“Give me an hour to work out the spell he used and I should be able to reopen the rift” Dorian said to the party.

Leliana looked at him in panic. “An hour!? That is impossible! You must go now!”

As soon as she said that they felt a tremor, pieces of concrete falling from the pillars as the palace was shaken by the force of a growl.

“The Elder One” Leliana whispered terrified.

“We will do whatever it takes to keep them at bay, go!” Solas hurried them.

Dorian hissed, he needs to be quick, they would need more people guarding the door, he turned to the Tranquil Child “Silvhen, can you guard the door?”

The emotionless elf nodded. “As you wish master Pavus”

Dorian flinched, not expecting to hear those words from the child he freed.

Standing up the elf made his way towards Izuku who hasn’t moved since he had killed Alexius. “Before I die, there is something that the me who could still feel would want to tell you” The teen elf leaned and kissed Izuku’s cheek before he whispered into his ear, no emotion in his voice. “Ar lath ma, ma vhenan”

Izuku broke from his trance at that; he stared in shock after the elf who made his way off to guard the door without even looking back.

“My heart” Solas said from his side, his eyes full of sorrow.

The greenette turned to look at him in confusion. “What?”

“He said ‘I love you, my heart’” Solas said sadly before following the other. “It’s been a pleasure”

Leliana nodded at Izuku, her expression serene. “Likewise. Maker be with you”

With a last fleeting glance at me, Solas walked to the doors, stepped through them, and pulled them close with a deafening slam.

Izuku was at loss of words, Silvhen loved him? In that moment he relived all the moment the elf had glanced him with a unknowing look, every time the boy touched him or held his hand, he couldn’t believe it, someone loved him as more than a friend, and now this person could feel nothing at all, he lost him.

“Dorian!” Leliana barked. “Get on it. We don’t have much time.”

Dorian shook his head as if to clear it, then nodded. “Stand there and don’t move an inch,” he said to Izuku and started casting a spell. He did she was told, but his gaze kept returning to where Silvhen had disappeared behind those stone doors.

The amulet rose from Dorian’s grasp into the air, and a green, glowing vortex surrounded it. While working to cast the spell, I heard him mutter to himself angrily, “That—that absolute lummox—”

Izuku glanced at Leliana. There was a loud bang, and the stone doors shook. “You have as much time as I have arrows,” she said, stepping closer to the doors, and grabbing an arrow from her quiver. She started reciting.

_“Though darkness closes, I am shielded by flame.”_

They heard screams and yells, and the doors creaked open. Three Venatori soldiers and a massive terror demon stepped inside, but not before throwing someone on the floor like a lifeless rag doll. It was— Silvhen, his bloodied corpse hitting the floor.

_“Andraste guide me. Maker, take me to your side.”_

Dorian must have sensed Izuku tensing up, because he yelled at him over the humming of the spell. “You move now and we all die!”

The whistle of arrows and the sounds of fighting faded in the background. Izuku could only hear the blood thrumming in his ears and the rapid beating of his heart.

Leliana stood against the Venatori, but she was fighting a losing battle. There were too many of them. The terror demon was about to—

There was a bright flash, Izuku shielded his eyes. When the glare receded… It was over.

They were back at the throne room, their companions were staring at them in shock.

After that it was a blur to Izuku, he disassociated, he saw people’s mouth moving but couldn’t hear anything, the Inquisition’s agents had apprehended Alexius, The King of Ferelden had kicked out the mages, Izuku blinked slowly as he noticed everyone looking at him for answers, he offered them an alliance which Enchanter Fiona gladly accepted. The greenette once again zoned out after that.

“We’re going back to Haven, okay?” Dorian said softly, Izuku noticed they were outside Redcliffe.

The greenette nodded numbly, unable to form a coherent sentence.

Solas and Cassandra were looking at him with worry, they wanted to ask him what had happened but Dorian stopped them, the man decided to tell them himself.

At some point they were back at Haven, which means Izuku has been disassociating for the past week, probably from the shock, he didn’t care though.

Adaar and Cullen had still to come back, but they have received a message saying that they managed to get the remaining sane Templars, they didn’t suffer many causalities.

Mom was safe, she was alive. Was all he could think of.

He snapped out of his trance again he found himself in his room, he saw Silvhen across the room looking at him worriedly, Izuku felt tears fall down his cheeks, the elf asked him if he was okay, but he couldn’t bring himself to respond. One moment he was standing close to the door, the other he had tackled his friend and was kissing him.

He is alive, they were all alive.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please comment, pleeease, I spent 10 hours writing this...and more 4 hours in the drawing...


	11. In Your Heart Shall Burn

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> \- Izuku x Silvhen becomes canon (Izuvhen)  
> \- Mama Adaar and Silvhen are worried  
> \- The green bean snaps at the Templars  
> \- The breach is closed  
> \- Mahanon and Dorian get laid  
> \- Heaven is attacked.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter has yet to be beta read! If anyone wants to beta read it contact me!
> 
> [My Tumblr](https://ultra-bitchlord.tumblr.com/)  
>  **Please leave comments and kudos, tell me what you liked about the chapter, it helps me keep motivated to keep writing and to actually know if you guys are liking my work!**
> 
> \--------------
> 
> I have a Discord Server<https://discord.gg/7GC3puC> You guys can chat and share anything you like, I'll be warning you when a chapter is coming up and posting some fanart from time to time.

Izuku was tired, he was in shock, he felt numb, the entire way to Haven he didn’t talk, he was unaware of the hand on his shoulder that kept him in place, Dorian has been really supportive all this time, he had led him to his horse, not wanting to let the boy ride alone in his state.

The greenette had disassociated several times, he didn’t remember stopping to take breaks, to sleep, and all he could think was what Alexius had done to his mother Herah and to his friend Silvhen.

How could the man have done that to them? To make them suffer like that, he already knew that Adaar had lost a child and that man had his soldiers rape her, kill her newborns over and over again, it was disgusting that a person could even think of doing such a thing, they had broken her, when she begged him to kill her he felt his heart break, she thought he was dead, that dying would reunite her with her daughter and Izuku.

He would never forgive Alexius for that, when he continued his path through the castle, he had made a decision, he would kill that man, make him suffer, but then he saw Silvhen at the man’s side like he was a doll who has been tossed to the side, his eyes empty of any emotion, his usual gentle smile turned into a thin line.

His first friend has been stripped from the fade, from his emotions and feelings, the usual so expressive dark-skinned elf looked at him with those cold cloudy eyes, at that moment Izuku felt even more anger, he automatically took his bow and shot an arrow throw Alexius’ throat, he didn’t care if he did all this for his son, he didn’t have to torture Herah he didn’t have to turn Silvhen Tranquil, he could have just left and lived with Felix somewhere in peace, but he didn’t.

When his friend said he loved him, Izuku couldn’t believe it, he was a weak, useless Deku since he turned four, then when he kills himself he is thrown into another world, a world where people appreciated his mutterings, his notes, a mother who loved him and a friend who was in love with him and then he saw all that being crushed into pieces in front of his eyes in a single day, he couldn’t take it.

He didn’t speak a single word for the entire week, when he had arrived at Haven, his body moved on its own, he didn’t care to fight it.

But then he found himself in his room, Silvhen’s room.

Izuku didn't think at that moment he just saw his friend there, alive and he felt his heart skip a beat. Those worried eyes were focused on the greenette, Silvhen's voice full of concern, unlike the Silvhen from that future who had no emotion when he spoke, his face blank, devoid of any emotion, eyes unfocused and dead.

This right here, in the present, was real and Izuku couldn't help but grasp this reality.

The kiss was desperate, he had practically thrown himself at the elf, he had never kissed someone so he just pressed his lips against Silvhen’s, the other was surprised, and for a moment Izuku though he would not return the kiss, but Silvhen did, unlike the greenette who was holding the elf like he would disappear, the elf kissed him softly and wrapped his arms around his waist carefully.

They were both inexperienced, but they got the gist of it as they spent the next couple of minutes deepening the kiss until they had to stop to catch their breath.

When they broke the kiss, they were both gasping, Silvhen looked at the greenette like he was the sun itself, his eyes a bit foggy like he was tipsy, his pointy ears did that cute thing when he was happy, his ears were perking up and wiggling slightly.

The greenette couldn’t help but burst into tears startling the white-haired elf who was lost on what to do, Izuku just hugged him tightly, burying his face on the boy’s neck, the other returned the embrace worriedly.

They stayed like that for a long time, Silvhen didn’t dare to break the hug, mamae had taught him that he should let the person who needs it, break the embrace when they are ready.

“Izuku?” The elven teen said softly. Silvhen have been worried ever since the greenette had departed to meet with the mages, he wanted to go, but Izuku argued that they would get too much attention with a large group and the greenette had talked to Dorian about Alexius, he would certainly try to capture him, still didn’t stop him from feeling frustrated from now being able to go.

Now the freckled boy came back with those haunted eyes, tears on his eyes, and impulsively tacked Silvhen and kissed him, it’s not like he didn’t like it, he had been yearning for this moment it’s been a while, but now the boy he loved was crying desperately and he didn’t what to do, he was just so worried, what had happened?

The greenette shook his head slightly. “I-I don’t want to talk about it, not now” He sniffed. “C-C-Can w-we…j-just st-stay l-like t-this?” The boy asked between sobs.

Silvhen’s expression softened. “Of course, anything for you Ma Vhenan” He said leaning off a bit to place a kiss on his forehead.

Ma Venhan, at first Izuku, thought he was calling some affectionate nickname for a friend, but then in that future, Solas had translated it for him; he tightened the embrace rubbing his face on the elf’s neck.

“I-I’ve never fallen for someone, but I feel different around you” Izuku said softly. “I know I like you more than a friend, s-so…” His face heat up, he never thought he would be in a romantic relationship with anyone, he was just the useless kids who had no superpowers in his word, but here things were different.

Silvhen’s ears perked up, he pulled away looking at the greenette, his eyes flashing with hope. “I may not be really Dalish, but mamae was one, so I follow some of their traditions” He looked away blushing slightly. “We bond for life with our mate, so if you need more time to think about it…” He squeezed the other’s hands nervously.

Izuku’s face turned red, bond for life? He never heard of something like that, but it did sound…romantic. He thought about it, they were young yet, they could end up falling for other people through the years…but he still wanted this, the greenette can’t imagine himself falling again for someone else, at his school most of the other teens were in a relationship, he never felt attracted to anyone in his word, maybe it was because nobody has ever been nice to him.

But he could tell that his feelings for the elf weren’t just because he was nice to him, he really liked Silvhen, it took some time for him to realize what his feelings for him were but now that he knows he doesn’t want to let it go.

Izuku smiled shyly. “W-Well, tell me how this work then?”

The smile Silvhen gave him was so bright that the greenette had to close his eyes.

* * *

Cullen had arrived a couple of minutes ago he had gone ahead of the Templars, wanting to see the situation with the mages as soon as possible the Templars and Adaar weren’t so far behind they would probably arrive in a couple of hours, while the mages may arrive the next day in the morning.

So here they were Cassandra and Dorian in the war room with the three advisors.

Cullen was fuming, he was pacing around the war room, walking in circler so many times they, Josephine and Cassandra were exchanging a look in concern, if he kept that up he was going to make a hole on the floor, Leliana just looked like she wanted to karate chop him in the back of his neck and throw his unconscious body through the window. She was done with his mood swings, she knew it was an effect of the lyrium withdrawal but the man wasn’t even trying to control himself anymore, it was getting on her nerves.

The blonde turned to them, his brown furrowing. “Where is the Herald!? We need to talk about him offering a full alliance to the mages! That was foolish! He can’t just do that! Even with the rescued Templars we won’t have enough to watch the mages for abominations!”

“Listen, what happened in the future was…really bad, it affected the kid, you need to give him time”

“We can’t have the Herald being reckless now! The Templars will arrive tonight and the mages will arrive tomorrow, we need to talk about this with him!”

“I barely know you but I can tell you have a stick up in your ass” Dorian muttered tiredly.

Cullen sputtered, getting red on the face.

The Tevinter mage threw him an icing glare. “I have no idea what is wrong with you, but the Herald of Andraste is a child, he shouldn’t be going through this, definitely shouldn’t have to do the things he had to do in that future. So stop talking and seeing the kid as a tool and start treating him like a normal person”

Cullen was looking down ashamed, it has been difficult with the lyrium withdrawal, but he could not use that as an excuse for his behavior, he was still wary about mages after what they had done to him so his reaction was biased.

“What you meant by what he had to do?” Leliana asked, worry in her tone, she has been expressing more herself since she had met Izuku.

“He had to kill, we were too little to deal with so many, he killed Alexius like he was nothing but a bug in his way, I don’t know the kid as much as you but I doubt he had ever killed before judging by his reactions from earlier” The man said saddened.

“He also has seen a Qunari woman tortured and…” He felt his stomach turn at remembering the scene, the advisors fidgeted nervously at this. “The guards had forced themselves onto her, they killed her newborns in front of her, they even let the bodies tossed across the room for her to see”

The advisors were horrified, Josephine who was dark-skinned went almost entirely white as she paled and tried not to vomit, Cassandra tried not to cry, knowing how that must have affected the Herald, everyone knew they were mother and child even if they didn’t call each other that.

“Silvhen had been turned Tranquil, that seemed to make Izuku snap” He said sadly, he likes the kid, he was like a little brother to the man, so seeing him like that, at the time they were in a hurry and he didn’t have much time to react, but he would never forgive Alexius for the things he had done in that future.

The man hasn’t done anything in this timeline yet, but to think he would ever allow the things that happened to Adaar, to make Silvhen Tranquil? That was not the man he once knew, if they decided to kill Alexius, Dorian doesn’t know if he would be that sad with his death after all he has seen.

“Izuku needs space right now if what Ser Pavus said is true” Josephine said worriedly as she wiped off her tears. “I vote to leave him alone now, if he seeks us out we talk if not, we let him rest”

They all agreed, Dorian proceeded to tell them about the rest of what they saw in thet dark future, about Cassandra killing herself, the Red Lyrium, the army of demons, and the attack on Empress Celene, they had a lot of planning to do.

* * *

When Adaar arrived with the Templars Izuku had tackled the woman into a hug, she was surprised at his eagerness but returned the embrace happily.

The Qunari woman was extremely worried about his behaviors after that, he was acting cold towards the others, couldn’t meet their eyes, the only ones he would have a conversation with was Silvhen, Adaar, and Dorian, he looked at the others with such sadness in his eyes, especially towards Cassandra.

She asked him to tell her what had transpired at the meeting with the mages to have him act this way, but he refused to, he asked for time, Silvhen and Adaar agreed to let him take his time to tell them about it and told him they were there for him.

He had cried at that, Herah didn’t want to leave him that night so she brought both kids to her room, her bed big enough for the three of them, Izuku loved it, he felt safe and didn’t feel afraid of losing them when they were so close to him.

He snuggled up into Adaar’s neck, she wrapped her big arms around him and placed a little kiss on his hair. Silvhen was doing the big spoon role, hugging his (boy)friend? By the back.

Before falling asleep Izuku muttered tipsy from lack of sleep. “Love you mom, love you Vhen”

For the first time in a week, he slept well.

Minus Adaar and Silvhen both heard his words and were screaming inside the entire night, not being able to stop thinking about it.

_‘He called me mom!’_ Herah squealed in her head.

Silvhen was just a red tanned tomato; he almost set the bed on fire twice that night.

* * *

The next morning the mages arrived, they were tired but willing to help as soon as possible, the tension between the Templars and mages was high, but Roderick managed to tame them both into working together for now.

Well most of them… they still trashed each other, a templar came to Izuku fuming, Ser Barris was behind him trying to stop the man from saying anything bad, Fiona was at his side, she looked furious.

Izuku who was talking to his mom turned at hearing heavy footsteps, the rattling of plated armor making Silvhen at his side flinch at the loud noise. “You can’t expect us to work with those abominations Lord Herald!” The Templars said indignantly. “They killed so many!”

The greenette met his eyes and the man flinched at the look he received. “You know what I saw when I was at the Hinterlands? Templars killing innocent people just because of a ring thinking they were mages, killing children and the elder, massacring villagers” Izuku said, his tone of voice cold.

The Templar took a couple of steps backward, Ser Barris arched a brow at seeing one of his suddenly losing all his bravado, the other soldiers were watching the scene with a frown, many thought the same as the man but didn’t have the courage to say anything, now he was being talked back by the Herald.

“Both parties killed innocent people, both fucked up, but if you want to play as if the Templars did nothing wrong, then you’re an idiot, you have blood in your hands as well, so shut up and play nice, the minimum the two groups can do to atone is to work together and if not…maybe you’re no use to anyone alive” The greenette threatened.

Needless to say nobody complained again about working together, though Adaar and Silvhen were worried at how the boy talked to the man, he wasn’t like that, he didn’t even stutter and his voice was so full of venom.

They need to talk about this after they close the breach…

The mood that was cast over their procession was a somber and dedicated one. No one said a word as they marched up the mountain path that evening. Izuku and Cassandra led the way, followed by Solas, Varric, Blackwall, Sera, Iron Bull, and Vivienne. Dorian trotted up last with Silvhen who was looking at the greenette worriedly, the Tevinter mage put a hand on his shoulder giving him a sympathetic smile.

Despite the size of their group, they reached the Temple of Sacred Ashes in half the time it took during their first excursion. Ser Barris, Fiona, and Solas began placing the Templars and mages along with the ruins, facing the Breach. Once they were in place and prepared Cassandra, Izuku and Solas finally climbed down into the crater itself. Fiona and Barris stood to watch over the proceeding, stalwart and determined. As Izuku approached the Breach, the mark began to flare angrily, seeming far more agitated since his little journey through time.

“Mages! Templars!” Cassandra bellowed, gathering the attention of both groups. They looked at each other and steeled themselves.

“Once he connects with the Breach, focus past the Herald” Solas explained in a booming voice, “Let him draw from you”

The greenette took a deep breath and thrust his hand to the sky, willing it to close. Green tendrils of light shot from the mark and into the Breach. Swords and staffs plunged into the ground at the same moment, and a battle of wills began: theirs against the sky’s. Izuku struggled against the tear in reality, and he felt as though he were holding the sky from the land itself. The weight wasn’t unbearable, however. Others were carrying his burden, as well. He pushed the pain down into his core and crushed it, pushing one final time for the sky to seal itself.

The Breach grew brighter than the midday sun, then flashed. A wave of force sent all in attendance tumbling backward, and the mark quieted itself as the Marcher landed on his back. He felt a hand on his back begin to lift him slightly from the ground, and with every ounce of will Izuku could muster, he forced herself to open his eyes, looking up Silvhen was looking at him with concern on his features.

The Breach was gone. The sky had been healed. He let out a small laugh of relief, and Silvhen kneeling at his side pulled him upright into an embrace.

“You did it!” Cassandra breathed, a genuine smile of relief spreading across her face.

The greenette who was still being hugged by his frie-mate, turned his face around as everyone around him cheered, Solas gave a smile of approval before turning to leave. Varric had clapped him on his back giving him a proud smile that made Izuku feel loved. Cassandra was giving him a soft smile as she patted him on the head, the dwarf looked at her skeptical at the show of affection which she noticed and pulled away her hand with a slight blush.

When they got back, everyone in Haven was cheering for them. Even Cullen and Josephine gave Izuku a smile and a look of their approval before walking away. Silvhen was happy to see his mate smiling.

Dorian and Mahanon were at the Singing Maiden having drinks, the elven male seemed to be flirting with the Tevinter mage who was doing his best to hide his reddened face, Izuku really didn’t want to know what the elf had said as he noticed the elves from the party who could hear the conversation looking very red on the face, minus Sera who was laughing her ass off.

Dorian threw his head back as he consumed the rest of his drink, he wiped the liquid from his lips with the back on his arm, he stood up suddenly, grabbing Mahanon’s arm and dragging the male elf to a private room.

Oh, Izuku turned red, they were going to do it. He hurried his steps, he didn’t want to hear the noises they were going to do.

* * *

People were singing and dancing all around. Izuku had done it, he had done the impossible for anyone to do. Music filled the air as he watched people drink and dance over where Varric's tent was.

Izuku was just above where the steps to the Chantry were and there was a drop above the tents. Cassandra approached him; he could hear the Seeker's footsteps behind him.

Cassandra stood next to the boy. "Solas confirms that heavens are scarred but calm." She put her hands behind her back. The greenette looked her, "The Breach is sealed. We have reports of lingering rifts! Many questions remain" Cassandra turned her head to look at him. "But this was a victory! Word of your heroism has spread” She gave him a broad smile.

Izuku wasn't sure if that was good or bad. He looked at Cassandra with a forced smile, the image of her dead body still strong in his mind. "Y-You know how many were involved” He chuckled lightly. “L-Luck just put me at the center."

Cassandra smiled softly. "A strange kind of luck" She turned her head to look into the distance, "I'm not sure if we need more or less. But you're right; this was a victory of alliance." She looked back at the greenette. "One of few in recent memory. With the Breach closed that alliance will need a new focus"

Suddenly alarm bells could be heard in the distance and the massive march of an army. Lights of torches could be seen in the distance.

Cullen and his men came running out in panic. "Forces approaching! To arms!" He then ran to the gates.

All the civilians started to run and scream in a panic. Izuku and Cassandra looked at the forces approaching and Cassandra turned to go down the stairs. "We must get to the gate!" She then drew her sword and ran down them.

Izuku worried for what was now to come, followed her. Sera, Iron Bull, and Varric ran to him. Iron Bull looked at him with a grunt. "So celebratory drinks are on hold huh?"

The greenette jumped off the ledge and ran to the gates with his bow in his hand. He ran down the stairs to the main gate to the outer camp with Cassandra. Silvhen, Dorian, and Adaar were at the gates waiting for them.

Varric shook his head, a somber look on his face. "I knew this was too easy…"

When Izuku and the others got to the gate Cullen, Josephine and Leliana were already there. Cassandra looked at the Commander. "Cullen?"

Cullen looked at Cassandra with his sword in his hand. “One watch guard reported it’s a massive force!” He pointed to the mountain. “The bulk over the mountain!”

Silvhen went around them and down the stairs. He saw lights flashing under the gates.

Josephine looked at Cullen. “Under what banner?” She asked trying to not show her panic.

Cullen looked at her; “None”

She looked at him shocked. “None?”

Izuku slowed to the first step and looked under the gate watching it. The gates pushed as something tried to get in.

“I can't come unless you open the gates!” Cried out a voice.

Two guards went down the stairs to the gate doors. Izuku ran down the stairs and both he and Silvhen opened the doors themselves. A massive soldier seemed to be approaching but stopped. Something seemed to stab him in the back. The man fell to his knees and then the ground dead. A thin figure stood before them. He was young no more than twenty with a thin face. He wore a tunic shirt and leathers patched together and a big oversized hat that hid his face. The sleeves and pants were long and held a dagger in his hand. He had pale skin and thin stringy Blonde hair; his eyes were a faint blue.

Izuky and Cullen came running to him stopping short of the body.

The young man spoke, “I’m Cole, and I came to warn you!” He took a giant step towards Izuku, Silvhen looked at him wary ready to fight in case he tried anything, the man stopped before looking at the young help. “Can’t let him get hurt again, hurt, crying, he had seen enough death, ma Vhenan” Cole whispered making Silvhen take a step back taken aback at hearing the stranger speak out loud his thoughts.

The man turned to look back at the greenette. “I’m here to help! People are coming to hurt you! You probably already know”

Izuku shook his head; he was confused by the young rogue and then the templars behind him. “What is this? What’s going on?”

Cole looked at him. “The red Templars and Venatori have come to kill you!” He then continued. “The Red Templars and Venatori went to Elder One. You know him and he knows you! You took his mages and soldiers!”

The man then pointed to the top of a ridge above a tree line. “There! There’s the Elder One!”

On top of the ridge was one man that seemed to be a General that Cullen knew all too well. He wore impressive armor and had thinning dark hair. A dark cloud of smoke came behind him and a figure approached. He seemed caught between the living and the dead. Red lyrium grew out of his face and body. His skin was very pale, that was Samsom. At this side there was a blond woman a mage, Dorian recognized the woman to be the Venatori leader, Magister Calpernia.

Next to them was the Elder One, he had some partial armor on his chest but furs on his shoulders. Torn robes around his body revealed a skeletal frame. He looked to be ten feet tall or more. He was huge and had reddish-brown eyes.

“I recognize that man, but this Elder One, this ‘Corypheus’...” Cullen thought aloud.

Herah decided she’d had enough of standing around. The enemy was literally at the gates. “Cullen, give me a plan. Anything,” Adaar demanded, her face serious with no evidence of fear or panic, they marched through the gates with their forces.

"Haven is no fortress. If we are to withstand this monster, we must control the battle. Get out there and hit that force. Use everything we can" He motioned to the trebuchets dotting the area just outside the village and turned back to the soldiers massing at the gates.

"Mages! Templars! You-- You have sanction to engage them. That,” he pointed to the man next to the Elder One as he drew his longsword, “Is Samson. He will not make it easy"

"The woman is Calpernia! The leader of the Venatori, beware of blood magic!" Dorian added.

Cullen nodded in thanks before turning to the soldiers and mages once again " Inquisition! With the Herald! For your lives! For all of us!" A battle cry rose up from the soldiers around them as they prepared to defend Haven.

Izuku glanced to his rear and found every last one of those who had accompanied him to the Temple trailing them, weapons drawn and determination on their faces. He turned back forward to watch Cullen bring his sword and cut a Red Templar's arm off, and Izuku got his first legitimate look at the monsters.

They were no longer human, but it was more than that. The noises coming from their mouth were certainly human, if more animalistic. Their movements were certainly human. But as he shot down a Red Templar that had advanced on him with a burst of fire, he noticed the eyes weren’t human; all traces of humanity had left them and were replaced by pure, animalistic, insane rage. There was no look of pain as he struck each one down efficiently, no look of shock as the life left their body. Only animalism. It was like putting down a pack of rabid dogs.

Izuku moved to the first trebuchet, where Silvhen, Varric, Iron Bull, and Cassandra were holding off a wave of the Red monsters with a company of Inquisition soldiers as Bull efficiently killed the templars, Silvhen had a shield up protecting the group and leaving the enemies outside the barrier.

“Mage!” Varric called as he reloaded his crossbow, Dorian, after cutting down a handful of Red Templars with chain lightning, launched a small bit of fire at the projectile loaded into the trebuchet. Izuku turned and kicked the release, watching the flaming stone sail through the sky. For a moment, it seemed like everything stopped on the battlefield as all combatants traced the projectile’s trajectory.

Then it crashed into the mountainside with a sound mimicking thunder, and a cloud of snow was thrown into the air. The fresh powder of the mountainside began to race toward the approaching army in a white cloud of death. Countless torches were snuffed out just as Sera put an arrow through the skull of the last of the group of Red Templars attacking the trebuchet.

“Herald! The Red Templars took the second trebuchet before we could reach it. Captain Adaar’s company is engaging them now,” A messenger cried. Izuku froze at the thought of his mom getting hurt again, it made his heart race, he cursed and jerked his head toward the second trebuchet.

Izuku broke into a sprint towards the second siege weapon. “Keep that thing firing!” He shouted at the company left behind to man the trebuchet.

The battle became brutal quickly. Even between Silvhen, Mahanon, Vivienne, Solas, and Dorian, along with the countless allied mages fighting alongside them, there didn’t seem to be enough mana between them all to keep everyone healed. Tainted and clean bloodshed equally, staining the snow red. Still, they advanced, only a handful of meters out from the second trebuchet. Izuku spotted Adaar swinging her great sword cleanly through several Red Templars at once, her face colored with blood. Cadash stood back to back with her, her bow still on her back, darting between enemies and stabbing them with efficiency and gruesome skill.

Between them and Adaar’s highly skilled, tight-knit unit, the second trebuchet was secured in minutes, and another projectile was sent to bury the enemy forces in snow.

“Herah! How many did you lose?” Mahanon shouted over the din of the battle. The massive woman grunted and stabbed a squirming Red Templar through the gut.

“Enough” She called back, her voice full of frustration. “There’s way too many of them. We’re going to be overrun soon”

“We keep these trebuchets firing, and we’ll have a chance” Bull countered.

Suddenly a hellish shriek cut through the night air, and the trebuchet exploded in a ball of red flame. Evelyn and everyone around her dove to the ground in shock as a figure with wings made of death soared above them and back into the sky.

"Who ordered the end of the damn world?" Varric barked frustrated.

Cassandra stared at the dragon. She’d killed many before, but this one seemed… off. Wrong. Its wings were partially torn and tattered, scales and flesh missing from its dark grey body. Its eyes were darkened pits that held red dots within, and if she listened closely, she could have sworn it was wheezing ever so slightly.

Cassandra’s observations were cut short, however, as soon as the tattered and seemingly blighted dragon came around for a second attack. Herah dove out of the way, taking Vivienne and Cassandra with her, as Bull tackled Dorian and Izuku, as well. Bull yanked Blackwall from its line of fire, and Blackwall pulled Silvhen and Sera a few feet further away from where the dragon was preparing to breathe its flame.

Some of the soldiers didn’t make it away in time, and Izuku watched the flesh burn from their bones as they collapsed to the ground, he should be crying in panic and horror, but after going through that dark future he grew used to things like these. The dragon kept breathing its unholy fire as it swept above Haven, setting the town ablaze.

“Get inside! Save the townsfolk!” Herah ordered.

"Move it, move it!" Cullen did one last sweep of the surroundings, and after a nod from Herah, the Commander slammed the gates shut.

"We need everyone back to the Chantry. It's the only building that might hold against..." Cullen swallowed hard. "That beast. At this point..."

He gazed at the circling monstrosity. "Just make them work for it."

The eleven of them cut and shot their way through the invaders in Haven. Lysette was the first one they saved, mowing down a squad of Red Templars that had cornered her inside the Singing Maiden. Izuku and Bull sprinted into the burning building, lifting a plank that, thankfully, hadn’t yet burned off the barmaid before the greenette passed the injured woman off to Bull, who carried her toward the Chantry. They moved on through the scorched and scarred village, cutting down anything that flashed sickeningly red, in almost deathly silence. Mahanon had long since switched to his daggers; his mana was too low to cast any spell.

They came across Minaeve, the creature researcher that worked out of Josephine’s office, and Adan, just as the pots of explosive material they were surrounded by began to be licked by flames. Cassandra dragged the two of them out of the way just in time for Solas to throw up a barrier as the explosive pots burst, and Blackwall dragged Adan and an unconscious Minaeve away before the fire consumed them.

Out of his peripheral vision, he noticed Threnn, the quartermaster, helping a wounded Seggrit to his feet, leading him into the Chantry. Izuku, Blackwall, and Cassandra began clearing the last of the Red Templars out of the entryway to the place of worship, and the greeentte had to duck as an arrow flew by his head, narrowly missing him over his shoulder, it hit a red templar in the skull; he glanced into the Chantry and saw Sera shoot him an apologetic look.

Roderick was just inside, being held up by Cole. It was clear he was bleeding from a wound in his side, but he remained resolute. "Move! Keep going, the Chantry is your shelter." As soon as the last of the civilians and combatants were within the nave, Herah and Cullen slammed the doors shut as Cole set the bleeding Chancellor down.

Cole looked sadly between Erik and Evelyn. "He tried to stop a Templar. The blade went deep. He's going to die."

Roderick laughed weakly. “What a charming young lad.”

Izuku looked at the dying man with sadness, he thought for a moment. The boy noticed how bad the wound was, but knowing Thedas, basic first aid wasn’t widely known. He knelt and looked intently at the wound. The stab wound was certainly bleeding, but it was oozing, not gushing blood. He would survive if Izuku acted quickly.

He remember when this kid from his school stabbed him with his sharps hands quirk, he didn't want Inko to get mad at him for bleeding to death in the living room so he took a knife, heated it, and closed the wound, the pain was unbearable, but it saved his life.

Izuku grabbed a dagger from Cole and heated it over a torch, then burned the flesh with the hot dagger to sterilize it. The crude method elicited a cry of pain from the Chancellor. Solas noticing what he was trying to do kneeled at the man's side and began to use a spell to help close the wound.

"K-Keep pressure on it. If that wound soaks with blood, find a clean cloth and repack it." Izuku instructed Solas.

"Herald" Cullen rushed toward them as Silvhen approached Izuku's side. "Our position is not good. That dragon stole back any time you might have earned us"

Leliana approached, covered in dirt and grit but otherwise unhurt. Vivienne placed a hand on Roderick’s wound and began to cast some rudimentary healing magic. The bleeding slowed but didn’t stop completely.

"I've seen an Archdemon," Cole said as he held Roderick. "I was in the Fade, but it looked like that."

“As have I. It looks remarkably similar to the one during the Blight” Leliana agreed.

"I don't care what it looks like" Cullen snapped. "It’s cut a path for that army. They'll kill everyone in Haven."

A wave of shocked murmurs and cries came from the civilians crowded in the back of the nave. Leliana and Herah simultaneously shot Cullen an angry look.

Cole shook his head and tilted his giant hat back. "The Elder One doesn't care about the village. He only wants the Herald."

“T-Then he’ll have me” Izuku decided without a moment’s pause.

He doesn’t want more death, he looked at his mother and Silvhen, both looking at him with horrified expressions.

“Son, you can’t!” Herah walked towards him putting her big hands on his shoulders shaking him slightly, her eyes showing her panic.

“Izuku, you cannot go back out there. You’ll die!” Silvhen pleaded, taking the boy’s hands on his…

"Herald, there are no tactics to make this survivable. The only thing that slowed them was the avalanche. We could turn the remaining trebuchets, cause one last slide" Cullen pointed out, "We're dying, but we can decide how. Many don't get that chance."

Chancellor Roderick started to mumble incoherently. Cole nodded. “Yes, that. Chancellor Roderick can help. He wants to say it while we still have time."

The man looked at Izuku with a hopeful smile. "There is a path. You wouldn't know it unless you'd made the summer pilgrimage. As I have. The people can escape. She must have shown me. Andraste must have shown me so I could...tell you."

“Roderick, are you sure about this path?” Cullen asked.

"It was a whim that I walked the path” He explained, “I did not mean to start - it was overgrown. Now, with so many in the Conclave dead, to be the only one who remembers... I don't know, If this simple memory can save us, this could be more than a mere accident. You could be more”

Izuku looked at the Commander. “C-Cullen?”

He nodded. "It could work. If he shows us the path. We’ll send a signal up when everyone is safe. But what of your escape?”

Izuku gave a slight shake of his head. Cullen swallowed thickly and gave a sorrowful nod. “Perhaps you will surprise it, find a way” Without another word, the former Templar turned to the soldiers in the Chantry. "Inquisition. Follow Chancellor Roderick through the Chantry. Move."

“Andraste guide you, my Herald” Roderick offered as he was lifted to his feet and carried away.

The greenete took a deep breath, he threw a knowing look at both Iron Bull and Dorian, both nodded knowing what he wanted them to do, the greenette escaped his mother’s grasps and began to march resolutely toward the Chantry’s doors, as he heard scream behind him, he sprinted.

Herah and Silvhen were both being held by Iron Bull and Dorian as they pleaded him to come back, Mahanon and Cassandra helping since the two of them almost escaped to go after Izuku.

Izuku ran as fast as he could through the burning village, avoiding Red Templars left and right since he was alone. Izuku knew he was almost certainly going to die. But he wasn’t afraid. Sad, to be sure, after all, he had finally found a family that accepted him and now he was going to get himself killed once again, but if that mean that they were all going to be safe then be it.

A horrifying roar came, and Izuku instinctively jumped in a random as more dragon fire burned the ground where he was standing. The dragon landed near him.

The monster he could only conclude was the Elder One was too tall, at least ten feet tall and terribly disproportionate. Red lyrium grew from its forehead and jaw, and its lips were pulled tight, giving it an evil, ghastly look. The creature’s fingers were long and pointed like arrowheads, and despite its completely wrong proportions and skeletal appearance, it walked with purpose. The monster strode through the flames as if they were flowers.

**"Pretender"** The massive darkspawn-like being spoke with a deep, rich, and sinister voice, **"You toy with forces beyond your ken. No more."**

Izuku laughed smugly, hiding the terror building in his belly. “S-So we toy with them. Make me stop. I’m not afraid of you.” This man was the same person he saw at the conclave, the one who killed the divine.

He shook his head, almost sympathetically and almost like a person, sending a chill of horror down Izuku's spine. **"Words mortals often hurl at the darkness. Once they were mine. They are always lies"** The Elder One strode towards him far too quickly. **"Know me; know what you have pretended to be."** He spread his arms, one hand holding a jet black sphere.

**"Exalt the Elder One. The will that is Corypheus"** The Elder One pointed a gnarled finger. **"You will kneel."**

Izuku shifted slightly in place. “N-No, thank you.” He said nervously.

**"You will resist. You will always resist. It matters not,"** Corypheus croaked as he held up the orb, **"You, ‘Herald’, are inconsequential. Your appearance in the ritual and subsequent disrespect were a surprise, to be sure, you will die here without a marker for your grave.”**

Raising one gnarled hand. **“My true purpose in destroying this pathetic village lies with you, boy. I am here for the Anchor. The process of removing it begins now."**

The orb glowed red, and Izuku's mark flared, shooting indescribable pain throughout his body as he dropped to his knees and saw stars.

**"It is your fault, 'Herald'. You interrupted a ritual years in the planning, and instead of dying, you stole its purpose. I don't know how you survived, but what marks you as 'touched,' what you flail at rifts, I crafted to assault the very heavens"** Corypheus spoke, his voice feeling slightly more distant. **"And you used the Anchor to undo my work. The gall!"**

The pain suddenly stopped and the creature rushed at them with alarming speed and grabbed the greenette by the throat.

**"I once breached the Fade in the name of another, to serve the Old Gods of the Empire in person. I found only chaos and corruption-- dead whispers. For a thousand years I was confused. No more. I have gathered the will to return under no name but my own, to champion withered Tevinter and correct this Blighted world. Beg that I succeed, for I have seen the Throne of the Gods, and it was empty."**

The horrific face before Izuku twisted into a snarl as Corypheus flung Izuku towards the trebuchet as though she were a filthy rag. He crashed into it and felt a pop in his shoulder, smacking his head slightly as he hit the platform.

**“The Anchor is permanent. You have spoiled it with your stumbling"** Corypheus snarled. **“So be it. I will begin again, find another way to give this world the nation - and god - it requires. And you. I will not suffer even an unknowing rival. You both must die."**

Izuku stood with difficulty, his shoulder was clearly dislocated . Both Corypheus and his dragon slowly approached.

A flaming arrow shot into the air, far behind both Corypheus and his intended target. Izuku smiled wryly, knowing his friends and family were safe. They were all safe, mother, Silvhen, they were safe, and what he was about to do wouldn’t be in vain.

“Y-Your arrogance blinds you" Izuku turned toward the release. Corypheus watched in stunned confusion while the projectile flung through the air, slamming into the mountainside with a thunderous clap and sending the snow down much faster than the greenette had hoped. Izuku launched to his feet, he leapt toward the nearby mine shaft, and he smashed back-first through the rotted wood.

He bounced and tumbled through the abandoned passage, the roar of the avalanche approaching above him. The last thing he heard was the furious shriek of the dragon before he struck his head once more and lost consciousness.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please comment, pleeease, I spent the entire day trying to come up with this chapters sadsadhj


	12. Aftermath.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> \- Heaven mourns.  
> \- Izuku makes a friend

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter has yet to be beta read! If anyone wants to beta read it contact me!
> 
> [My Tumblr](https://ultra-bitchlord.tumblr.com/)  
>  **Please leave comments and kudos, tell me what you liked about the chapter, it helps me keep motivated to keep writing and to actually know if you guys are liking my work!**
> 
> \--------------
> 
> I have a Discord Server<https://discord.gg/7GC3puC> You guys can chat and share anything you like, I'll be warning you when a chapter is coming up and posting some fanart from time to time.

They watched as the avalanche covered Heaven to the top, Adaar and Silvhen had been screaming the entire way.

After walking for eight long hours they found a place to camp for the night, everyone was worried about their situation, they couldn’t stay here forever, they would die soon, there weren’t enough supplies for everyone.

Solas was in his tent plunging into guilt, if he hasn’t given the orb to Corypheus the explosion wouldn’t have happened, people wouldn’t have died, Izuku the poor child wouldn’t have to feel so much pain and carry so many responsibilities with the anchor in his hand and the boy wouldn’t have died to give them time.

That kid has been through so much, everything he wanted was to enjoy this new world that treated him well, and now Solas was aiming to destroy said world to atone for his mistakes.

He has been too stuck with his assumption of how all the races were inferior to his, the kid had proved him that they still had potential, the greenette had scolded him once when he called Qunari of savages, pointing out how he couldn’t judge an entire race because a group did something wrong.

He wanted to discuss about his plans to reform the world, every day Izuku proved that this world may still be worth saving, the way he treated everyone equally, how he asked Josephine to help the elves and Qunari to find a job within the Inquisition.

He was a remarkable child; it’s a pity he died saving them from Sola’s mistakes.

Cassandra had been quiet the entire journey, Varric didn’t dare to let the woman alone, he kept quiet knowing that his usual jokes would do nothing good now, so he just kept her company, held her hand and told her to let it out, at first she tried to hold it, but when she saw the look the dwarf was giving her she broke into an ugly sob, squeezing his hand quite strongly, he didn’t seem to mind though.

He was just a child; the Seeker thought to herself, how could the maker let a kid like Izuku die for them? It was not fair; nothing has been fair since the conclave’s explosion, as if the maker had given up on them. Andraste preserves them, she had lost all hope.

The three advisors weren’t doing any better; Leliana went back to being her cold self while Josephine has been crying over the Herald’s death since they departed from Heaven.

Cullen felt guilty for not staying to help the kid, Adaar had yelled at him for hours for letting her son go to his death, he hasn’t been doing a good job a controlling himself lately and could barely make the right decisions, but letting a child sacrifice himself should not have been something that he could just shrug off.

Adaar was mourning, she had lost another child, her little one, the Iron bull had tried to reason with her but she just punched him, now the Qunari was eyeing her from across the camp with a broken jaw, he should not have stopped her, she could have protected Izuku, she could have done anything, die for him if necessary, but now there was nothing she could do, her green bit was gone.

Herah was so done with losing the ones she loves, first her daughter, then her husband, and now her son, she wanted to be with them, she thought about killing herself, but she knew Izuku would not have wanted her to do that, he would want her to live, be happy and move on, yet she couldn’t see herself being happy without him.

Her mercenary group tried to comfort her, but she shrugged them off, she didn’t want to be near anyone right now, Herah only wanted to be by herself, for now, she was mad at Bull, she was mad at Cullen for letting her child sacrifice himself. If she had the energy she would grab her greatsword and cut his head off, he didn’t even try to stop Izuku.

Sera was being a downer, she wasn’t close to the Herald, but she still mourned his death, she still had to apologize to him for what she had done when they first met, but there was never a good time, then he came back from Redcliffe different, he would look at the distance with cloudy eyes, every time she tried to approach him he looked at her nervously and walked away.

Now he was dead, shitty hero syndrome, why couldn’t it be someone else? She hates when the little people throw their lives away for others, it was like he didn’t even think that he was worth keeping alive, that nobody would miss him when he went to confront that lyirum tall fucker.

Sera looked around, everyone was in such a sour mood, they had little food and winter clothing, there wasn’t time to grab all the essentials when they were running away, she would have to contact the Jennies to see if they could help, they would need to find a place to stay first, there is now way they could find them in the middle of a blizzard. Izuku would approve of her thinking; she thought to herself bitterly, she wishes she had spent more time with him.

She looked to the other side of the camp where Silvhen was drowning himself and sorrow, she frowned, her little trickster bunny looked so sad, did he even had the chance to confess to the greenette? She doesn’t know what is worse; to not confess and lose the one you love before telling them your feelings or confessing and losing that person not even days after becoming something.

Sera wanted to approach the elf to comfort him, but she was really bad at doing stuff like that, so she decided to let the boy alone, for now, she knew he was in denial when they ran away from Heaven he screamed, tried to get away from Dorian’s embrace but he was too little and tired to escape after they got to camp he just looked at nothing blankly, once they asked if he was okay, he just said: ‘I’m waiting for him, we should stay here until he comes back’ the poor teen sounded so sure that Izuku was alive that it made the group’s heart break at his delusion.

Silvhen wasn’t mad at Dorian, he knew he just did that to protect him, but that doesn’t mean he wasn’t angry at the entire situation, once again he left Izuku to fight on his own, he has no idea what happened at Redcliffe but it was obvious that something terrible had happened since the greenette came back with those haunted eyes, Dorian refused to tell him about it when they were at Heaven, said that Izuku would tell him on his own time.

Now the Tevinter mage had tried to tell him at the camp, but Silvhen refused to let the man tell him, Izuku would tell him what happened himself; the pitying look Dorian gave him when he said that infuriated him, like he was being delusional. Izuku can’t be dead he won’t accept this, he tried to find any signs of his Vhenan in the fade but found absolutely nothing, he almost accepted a demon’s offer to see if he could find the greenette but he knew Izuku wouldn’t approve even though he is okay with blood magic he would never want the elf to turn into an abomination.

He doesn't remember when he had fallen for the greenette, he has always been wary of humans, after all, they had done nothing but harm him. His time as a Tevinter slave taught him to hate them, but when he saw Izuku at the conclave his odd appearance caught his attention, he never thought that his curiosity would have saved him that day.

Ever since then his travels with the greenette brought the two of them closer, Silvhen loved his mutterings, loved how he would take notes on everything after he gave the boy several notebooks. Izuku was easy to like, he respected all races, didn't treat them differently, he was passionate, smart, and kind and Silvhen wanted nothing more than to kiss every freckle on the teen's face.

Now his Vhenan was out there alone, he won't accept that he has died, he can't have, they were bonded to life, they had promised to never leave each other's side that night.

So he sneaked out, everyone in the camp had gotten winter clothing he borrowed some extra and made his way out, using a fire spell to keep himself warm, he looked back to the camp, everyone was busy or grieving, so they didn’t notice his little escapade.

He walked through the snow with the hope of finding his Vhenan, he could tell that there was a big blizzard coming, but he didn’t care, he would die trying to find his mate.

* * *

Izuku oped his eyes tiredly, looking up to the ceiling he froze in place, he turned his head slowly to see his surroundings, All Might posters all over the walls, his computer on his desk playing his favorite Hero Video, he was back home…if he could even call this place home.

He panicked, he doesn’t want to be here, was all that a dream? No, no, he wants to go back!

He got up abruptly; he felt no pain, had he dreamt of his suicide? Dreamt all of the events in Thedas?

“Son, you’re awake!”

He froze, turning his head slightly he saw his mother from his world looking at him with an expression he hasn’t seen since he was three years old when she still loved him. Inko was looking at him with tears in her eyes, a soft smile splattered on her face.

She took a step closer to him, he flinched taking a step backward, the green-haired woman’s smile fell, she looked at him with saddened eyes.

“Oh Izuku, I’m so sorry for everything I had done” She said, her voice wavering as she held tears from falling into her cheeks. “After they called me into the hospital, I saw through my mistakes, to think you would kill yourself because of me” She sobbed.

The greenette woman went back to smiling. “I hope you can forgive me one day my son, I love you” She walked towards him, Izuku was still too shocked to be able to react when she wrapped her arms around him. 

Izuku couldn’t believe what he was hearing, his mother was sorry? He felt a pang of hope, she loved him again? This is was too good to be true!

...

…this was too good to be **_true._**

“Tell me son, do you want us to be together? We can stay together forever” Inko said softly.

He closed his eyes, appreciating the moment; a tear fell down his face. He leaned away from his mother and smiled at her.

“You’re a desire demon aren’t you?” He said coldly. “Mother would actually kill me if I survive my suicide attempt” He said sadly, he knew that this would have been her reaction, after all that was the woman who tried to kill him when he cried from pain at night.

Not Inko stopped, she looked at him as is she was to refute his statement but ended up sighing, she shifted into a light purple woman with long horns and a tail, she was…naked, he averted his eyes quickly earning a chuckle from the demon.

“Ah, I almost got you” The purple lady said maliciously before frowning. “Your world is very weird” She said confusedly. “And your mother is a bitch” The demon spit the words.

Izuku chuckled slightly. “She is” He said sadly.

The demon eyed him carefully before trying again to lure him. “I can help you acquire your desires, together we are stronger, you have so many desires, to have your mother from this world embrace you, to have your loved one kiss you, to see those you care about alive, I can help with that, don you want that?” Her pupils dilated like a cat eyeing its prey.

Instead of answering her, Izuku decided to ask. “What’s your name?”

The Desire Demon blinked in surprise, she noticed he was serious about this question. “I don’t have a name child” The demon said amusedly. “Though I wonder why you ask”

Izuku frowned. “You’re person, people have names…”

That seemed to shock her, this kid…

“You are…different, many would try to kill me in your place” She said suspiciously.

Izuku sighed, he understands why she would be wary of him. “Well, I don’t think demons are bad, Solas said those being pulled by the rift go crazy, but I know the ones on the fade are just doing what they can to survive”

He eyed her, watching as her expression went from suspicious to skeptical. “You were once a spirit of purpose, what happened?” He asked softly.

Her eyes went cloudy at the question, a sense of sadness taking over her. “I don’t remember little one”

“Would you like to go back to your normal self?” He asked with an understanding look.

“I…I don’t know”

He thought about it, what could be done to change a demon back to a spirit? Solas had said that there was no spell that could convert them back to their true nature, they have been too corrupted to be able to be saved. They did what they needed to do, a rage demon would seek people who were being taken over by their anger, a sloth would go after lazy people and etc, they needed to fill their roles to feed.

But what if…his eyes widened. “What if you help with my purpose?”

She arched a brow interested. “Your purpose is to serve the Inquisition; to help people, is it not it?”

“Yes!”

She thought about it for a moment, this situation was something she had never experienced before, normally people would just try to kill her or accept her offer, nothing in between and this wasn’t even that! “I don’t see why not, you’re the first mortal to have a peaceful conversation with me” She shrugged. “Though if your little friends kill me I’ll be very mad”

“I promise to talk to them” He said seriously.

She eyed him for a moment, and saw how truthful he was, she nodded slowly.

Suddenly he shouted: “Ah! What about Masashi?” He turned to look at her excitedly.

“Masashi?”

“Yes! As your name! In my language, it would mean ‘will or purpose’”

She chuckled amusedly. “I don’t see why not”

“Oh, by the way… can you please put some clothes on?”

She eyed him skeptically, looking at herself and coming to a conclusion that yeah, being naked in front o child felt weird now that she thinks about it, she is used to talking with adult mages, but here she was talking with a non-mage child. She sighed but used an illusion to make it looks like she was wearing a type of dress even though he was about to wake up.

“It’s time to wake up little one”

Izuku woke up with a scream of pain, his shoulder was dislocated and he was pretty sure he has broken several ribs as he felt the warmth of the blood behind his armor. He noticed the bone poking out of his leg, shit, how is he supposed to walk like this?

Everything came rushing back. The assault on Haven, the dragon, facing Corypheus and falling down the cavern. He glanced up; the snow from the avalanche had sealed the tunnel they’d unceremoniously entered through, though he figured that was honestly a good thing. It meant nothing else could get in, either.

He turned his head to the left, in front of him there was a thin Qunari woman, her horns were the same as the desire demon he was talking with, her skin was a bit purplish, she was a normal-sized Qunari, unlike his mom who was way taller for a female Qunari.

“Masashi?”

“Qunari look a bit like us Desire Demons, so Qunari it is then” She shrugged.

The purple woman analyzed his situation and hissed. “I don’t have the ability to heal you, but I can put your arm back into place, can’t do much for the leg though” She said slightly disgusted by the blood.

Izuku nodded knowing that there wasn’t much that could be done with his situation. She couched at his side and took his arm in her hands, with one move he heard a loud ‘pop’ as he arm was put back into place, he didn’t even have time to react, he eyed her with tears in his eyes a bit angry at her.

She brought both her hands up in mock defense. “Don’t look at me little this, it’s back on its place isn’t it?”

He sighed, he couldn’t argue against that, he eyed her intensely, he felt a sense of dread at taking better in her appearance.

“Qunari don’t have tails you know that, don’t you?” He asked nervously.

The demon looked at him like he had just punched a puppy. “….but I like my tail”

“Ma’m your head is on fire and your skin is purple” He continued exasperatedly.

“…”

“Your eyes are black and you’re floating”

“….” She looked at him now nervous herself. “I don’t suppose your friends would be dumb enough to think I’m a rare type of Qunari, would they???” She asked not so hopeful.

He sighed. “Why not take another form, a wolf perhaps?”

The demon pouted, she really wanted to keep her form outside the fade as close as her demon’s form, but if she was to help this kid, she had to survive and her appearance would have the people from Heaven throwing daggers at her, sighing she used her glamour to make herself look like a wolf, she had black fur and her eyes were a bright yellow color. She was big as a horse, which was great because she could carry the boy on her back.

The boy sighed from relief which had her rolling her eyes.

She stopped floating; as soon as her paws touched the ground she made a face (Izuku didn’t know a wolf could make such an expression), like she couldn’t believe she was doing this.

She lied down at his side. “I can lead the way to your friends”

“L-Lead the way then” He said as he mounted her with difficulty.

She got up and started to walk

“What brought you to me anyway? I’m no mage…” He asked nervously.

“You are…very bright in the fade, but now that the anchor in your hand got stronger it got even brighter, it’s difficult to ignore it”

After that, they lapsed into relative silence as they walked through the cavern. Izuku's leg hurt a lot even though he wasn't walking he would feel jolts of pain from time to time.

As they went deeper into the cavern they noticed a couple of demons, they noticed their presence immediately, a chorus of shrieks and gurgling growls rose up instantly.

“Use your mark little one! I can feel the new strength it has acquired” The wolf shouted.

Izuku did as she said and had thrown his left hand up, as soon as he did that the air shimmered, rippled, and then split open in a flash of sickly green. Every one of the Fade denizens began to scream, their bodies being pulled apart piece by piece, thrashing as they were pulled into the void. They both even felt the pull, as well, a tugging feeling behind his navel that made his head spin and bile rise up in his throat. Then, as quickly as the nausea came, it was gone, and the Veil snapped back shut.

The greenette was looking at where the rift was earlier with his jaw hanging in awe, he had done that? Masashi chuckled at his reaction. “C’mon, let get moving before more of these little shits come”

They made their way out of the cave and were immediately greeted with a strong wind that almost knocked them off the ground. The wind was biting and Izuku actually felt his eyelashes start to freeze as they kept moving.

It went like that for hours. He stopped feeling his leg after they passed the second dead campfire that was likely from the Inquisition. Why they hadn’t buried the pits in the snow to mask their retreat was beyond him, but he was just glad that he and Masashi had a bit of a trail to follow.

Izuku felt like his body would break at any moment, he was pretty sure he has gotten frostbite. His entire body hurts, Masashi looked at him with a sympathetic look, her fur helped to keep him a bit warm, but they were in the middle of a blizzard, he was still wearing his light armor which didn’t provide any warmth at all, so they would have to deal with it.

He asked the demon if she would be alright with the cold, she was skeptical at hearing the worry in his voice, the kid couldn’t even talk properly from how cold he felt but was asking her a fucking desire demon if she was okay, unbelievable, to easy his worries she told him that she as a demon could not feel warmth or coldness, so he didn’t need to have any concern for her.

The wolf tried to keep him awake by talking about stories of the fade, how she and a rage demon convinced a mage to use blood magic.

He perked up a little bit when she started to talk about other demons, he ended up muttering tiredly about how demons should be treated as people, she couldn’t believe this kid, but she liked how he thought, she herself just wanted to keep on living her life, she did do the whole ‘trying to possess you’ think from time to time, she wanted to walk among the mortals and see what was so good about living outside the fade.

Izuku promised that she could stay with them as long as she didn’t try to possess anyone or force people into using blood magic, which surprised her, he was okay with the person willing wanted to become a blood mage, what a weird kid.

The blizzard was getting stronger as they walked, fortunately, Masashi not actually being a wolf, had no problem walking through the strong wind, Izuku though felt like if they kept up he would pass out.

The wolf stopped on her tracks, seeing a light not so far away from her, she barked catching the attention of whatever was out here, the light got closer and closer, until it stopped, for a moment she thought it would go away but it started to run towards them.

“Izuku?”

Izuku opened his eyes tiredly, looking up to the light that was approaching them.

“Sil-vhen?” His voice cracked up.

“IZUKU!!”

Masashi proceeds to walk towards the voice, sprinting to get closer to the light, the kid needed warmth or he would die.

They finally got to each other, a dark-skinned elf with white hair had tears in his eyes, he had a small ball of fire on the palm of his hands, he immediately went to the greenette, he wanted to cry from relief, his Vhenan was truly alive! He knew it!

He flinched when his hand meets the greenette’s cold face. “By the creators! We need to get you to the camp now!” Okay he can have his emotional breakdown later when his mate is not freezing to death, he used a warming spell to create a warm barrier around the greenette, it was then that he noticed that Izuku was being carried by a wolf…

He stared at the wolf dumbly, the wolf stared back.

“Hello there lover boy” The wolf said.

“What the fuck” Silvhen whispered softly before recomposing himself. “Whatever you are, thank you for helping him” He said as tears fell down his face.

“Meh, I had nothing better to do” She responded. “Now let’s go before you two freeze to death”

They walked for more than two hours until they spotted one last fire pit… but this one was different, Izuku had gone unconscious multiple times, Silvhen was using all his mana to keep him warm neglecting to keep himself warm, but he didn’t care, he couldn’t lose his Vhenan. They continued to hike up the mountain for an hour more with no end in sight.

Then they were finally at the peak, the first streaks of grayish pink dawn painting the clouded sky. And at the bottom of the slope before them, Silvhen could see the massive camp on the other side of the ridgeline, campfires, and tents dotting the small basin.

He heard a handful of shouts as they crested the ridge, and four or five figures began running toward them. Cassandra, he thought, and Adaar who looked like she was about to have a panic attack. Sera led the group, her bow drawn. It looked like Dorian was with them, too, using his mage light to illuminate the slopes and he got closer Silvhen noticed the tears on his face; he looked at the elf and let out a distressed sob of relief.

“There! It’s them!” Cullen shouted, being the last to appear.

“Thank the Maker” Came Cassandra’s relieved reply.

Silvhen looked at the greenette in relief, they were finally safe. “We are here Izuku” He shook his mate slightly, but he got no response, frowning he shook him a little bit stronger, he panicked, he put his hand on the boy’s neck and found no pulse.

He wasn’t breathing.

* * *

Pain. Aching pain all over his body was the first thing that Izuku felt, followed by the feeling of wool wrapped around his body. The coarse bandages around his left foot came next. His eyelids felt heavy and his hands felt like two rocks.

He was in a tent, three small lanterns illuminating the canvas overhead. The sky was dark outside, the last bits of the sun’s rays giving way to an ocean of silver pinpoints in the heavens. He glanced down toward his body; it was covered in thick woolen blankets, and he was resting on a slightly raised cot. Despite his wakefulness, he found he either didn’t have the energy or the will to move.

There was an empty chair at his right, it was a really big chair, a familiar great sword lying on the side, he smiled weakly, mom was here, it seems like she left just moment ago.

Turning his head to the other side with great effort revealed a figure slumped forward on the right side of the cot; Silvhen was resting on his arms, his face wet with tears.

He shifted slightly in surprise at Silvhen’s presence, and the elf bolted upright with a slight gasp. His eyes were bleary and his clothes were shifted awkwardly. The white-haired rubbed the sleep from his eyes. The elf's face was confused and panicked for a moment before their eyes met, he burst into tears startling the greenette, but the boy didn't care he carefully fidgeted close to him and put a hand on his cheek.

Izuku felt his heart race at the touch as Silvhen leaned in and planted his lips softly onto his.

Maybe time stopped when his lips met Izuku's, but the flutter only intensified. The greenette’s heart pounded in his chest as his body got even weaker. He could only focus on how soft he felt against his mouth, how addictively he invaded all his senses. This kiss was nothing like their first; it was more passionate and wet because of the tears.

The elf leaned away a little bit, but their lips were still touching as he whispered. “Don’t ever do that again ma Vhenan”

Izuku felt a bit guilty at seeing the expression of total despair in his boyfriend’s face, but he would still do the same thing in a heartbeat, it was one life sacrificed for many others to live.

The elf could tell what he was thinking and he gave the greenette a pained smile. “You’re going to be the death of me” He leaned into him, their foreheads touching as he closed his eyes.

Izuku chuckled weakly. “I-I’ll try to be a better mate”

The elf just kissed him again before saying: “You’re already perfect”

They ended up cuddling on the small bed, Silvhen being careful to not injure the greenette, Izuku ended up forgetting about the pain as his boyfriend kept giving his small kiss, kissing every freckle on his face.

Then the elf stopped as he seemed to remember something, he gave his mate a look. “You’re going to have to explain to everyone why you were being carried by a desire demon, just saying”

Ah shit, he forgot about that for a moment.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please comment, pleeease, don't be afraid of making long comments! I love reading long comments ;v;


	13. Skyhold.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> \- Izuku and Silvhen get caught  
> \- The inner-circle discuss Masashi's fate  
> \- Masashi likes the shiny  
> \- They go to Skyhold  
> \- Dorian and Mahanon have 'the talk' with both Izuku and Silvhen

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> English is not my first language so I'm sorry for all the grammar errors! ;^;
> 
> This chapter has yet to be beta read! If anyone wants to beta read it contact me!
> 
> [My Tumblr](https://ultra-bitchlord.tumblr.com/)  
>  **Please leave comments and kudos, tell me what you liked about the chapter, it helps me keep motivated to keep writing and to actually know if you guys are liking my work!**
> 
> \--------------
> 
> I have a Discord Server<https://discord.gg/7GC3puC> You guys can chat and share anything you like, I'll be warning you when a chapter is coming up and posting some fanart from time to time.

While Izuku mentally had a panic attack over how he was going to explain his association with a demon to everyone, his mate just proceeded to kiss him like his boyfriend wasn’t having a crisis.

They both startled when an elven lady entered their tent, it was the same woman who Izuku woke up to when he first thought he had closed the breach, she halted when her eyes landed on them.

She went red in the face when she saw Silvhen on top of Izuku in a really intimate position, the two teens practically teleported away from each other from how fast they moved. Silvhen seemed like he was about to catch fire from embarrassment, while Izuku looked at the floor in utter mortification.

The three of them spent five awkward minutes in muteness until the elven woman coughed softly and said without meeting their eyes: “C-Commander Cullen has asked for your presence in the advisors’ tent”

The elf looked very melancholy for having to be the one to give him the notice, she seemed to want to protest and tell him to keep resting but she was too afraid to be punished.

“But he needs to rest!” Silvhen protested displeased.

She gave him an apologetic smile in understanding. “Lady Adaar thought the same but they wanted to see you at once to talk about a friend of yours?”

Ah, so they didn’t tell her, good, the fewer people who know about Masashi the better.

“Who’s there?” Silvhen asked suspiciously.

“Pretty much everyone from the inner circle” She said apprehensively.

Nooo, Izuku doesn’t want to go, he will have to deal with Bull, Sera and Viviene, that not including Cassandra and Cullen, ugh, he should have thought better about letting Masashi come along with him, he is grateful for her help, he would have died without her, but she could have at least tried to no to get herself caught!

“I-I’ll be there in a couple of minutes” Izuku said wearily, better explain the situation fast or else they would kill his demon companion…if they haven’t killed her already…

The elf girl nodded, as she was about to leave the tent she stopped, reddening slightly, she turned to the two teens. “You two are so cute together” She squealed not too loudly. “I’m glad you were able to find love in such hard times Lord Herald” She said passionately and happy for him.

Izuku smiled shyly. “T-Thank you-” He stared at her for a moment before frowning. “-I never got your name”

She looked astonished for a moment, she forgets how this human is different he has been nothing but kind to him, but she never considered he would want to know the name of a random servant. “It’s Shaya Namariel my Herald” She said happily.

“T-Thank you Shaya” He said softly.

She just gave him a smile as a response. “I need to go, lady Josephine told me to deliver blankets around the camp” She bowed and left the tent.

Both teens watched as she left.

Silvhen turned to him sheepishly. “Okay that was embarrassing, I didn't think anyone would walk in and see me trying to eat you alive”

The greenette turned red, he looked like a tomato, uh. “Vhen!”

The elf rolled his eyes, getting up. “What? I really wanted to make out until we both passed out” He smirked as his mate stammered. “I had a shitty day assuming I lost my mate, I have the right to kiss you as long as I want”

He made his way to the greenette who looked at him still red in the face.

“W-We will have time for that later”

The white-haired blinked slowly. “If you don’t pull another sacrificing yourself move on me until then” He glared.

“I-I’ll try not to?” Izuku said weakly.

Silvhen groaned tiredly. “I can tell this is the best you can offer” He crouched at his side. “Now let’s go defend your demon friend”

Izuku nodded. “H-How did they even find out about her being a demon?" He questioned curiously.

The elf stared at him blankly. “She literally wouldn’t shut up while in her wolf form and tried to steal food pretending to be a Qunari”

Goddammit, Masashi!

The dark-skinned elf paused for a moment before turning to look at his mate in exasperation. “She does know that Qunari people don’t have tails, right?”

Izuku sighed “She likes her tail…” He muttered under his breath earning a perplexed look from his boyfriend who shook his head slightly at that.

Silvhen helped him get up, he frowned as the greenette let out a yelp of pain, his leg hurt as he moved, the elf tried his best to not move the boy too much, but it was inevitable, after a couple of minutes they were finally able to get out of the tent, Izuku looked a bit groggy from the pain as his mate carried most of his weight so he wouldn’t use his broken leg.

Fortunately, Izuku was small and Silvhen was taller than him, so, carrying him wasn’t much trouble, as they get closer to the big tent, someone made their way out to greet them, it was Solas, the elf looked tired and slightly annoyed.

Izuku felt himself panic, did they kill Masashi? If so, is there a way to bring her back or demons die permanently?

Solas noticed his concern and softened his expression. “Do not fear she is alive and well” HE reassured the greenette who left a sigh of relief at his words.

Izuku noticed the lack of conversation coming from the tent. “They are not arguing yet?” That was a surprise he expected to hear shouts and screaming, maybe fire and swords swinging.

Solas chuckled slightly. “I cast a barrier that will keep the sound inside, nobody will hear us” He said. “Now, come in, I’ve been doing my best to keep them from killing your friend”

The elven man sounded very happy at saying that, the greenette knew that it was because he had befriended a demon after all the man was all about making people see demons and spirits as people, so it was to expect that he would be this excited at the Herald making friends with a Desire Demon.

Silvhen and Izuku nodded, as soon as both teens stepped inside the barrier they were startled by the loud shouting coming from everywhere, Silvhen the poor boy felt assaulted, clasping his hands on his ears, they saw a very angry Herah glaring daggers at Commander Cullen.

“You made me leave my son's side because of this???” She exclaimed utterly outraged.

The man looked at her in utter shock and confusion. “It's a demon!!!”

Adaar rolled her eyes dramatically. “Oh really? Thanks for pointing out the obvious!” She was so mad right now, she should be with her boy, taking care of him, she was supposed to be there when he woke up, but now not only she missed that but they had sent someone to get him here! He needs to rest!

When they noticed Izuku’s presence all eyes turned to him, only Dorian seemed happy to see him, the others looked either mad or apprehensive. Herah just looks like she was about to kill someone for making her boy get up.

If it was the same Izuku from when he first arrived on Thedas he would have flinched at their stares and cry, but now he couldn’t bring himself to care about them, he had seen scarier shit in that future.

Solas stopped at his side. “Let me help you” He got Izuku’s arm around his shoulder and both he and Silvhen carried the greenette and helped him sit on a chair, carefully avoiding touching his leg.

The boy let out a sigh of relief as he sat, but that seemed to finally snap everyone from their trance.

Cullen glared at him, his face going red from anger. “How could you make acquaintance with this demon!? We can't have the herald associating with blood magic it will damage the inquisition's image!”

Izuku glared at the man back; of course, he was worried that his tool was going to make the Inquisition look bad, asshole.

“She is right there you know” Izuku said blankly pointing to the desire demon, who was looking at a collar like it was the best shit she has ever seen.

Leliana the saint had given her all the shinnies to keep her occupied, it was like giving candy to a five-year-old.

They all turned their attention to the purplish demon, Masashi giggles maniacally as she threw the jewelry up and caught it in mid-air.

Izuku smiled slightly at the scene. “And I’m certain that even as she is drowning herself in gold she can hear us”

“I certainly can!” The demon said, her eyes not leaving the shiny diamond in her hands as her eyes shined bright.

“See? You’re being very rude right now, talking about her like she is not even here” Izuku said, giving them his best-disappointed look.

Everyone felt their cheeks heat up in shame, they all turned to Masashi with an apologetic look, but before they could apologize though it hit them that they were about to say sorry to a demon!

“It is a demon!” Cullen retorted.

Solas the sassy egg looked the man in the eye without blinking. “And? You’re a templar who had killed innocent mages and you don’t see me bringing that up”

The blond went pale at that, his face going through several expressions, guilty, shame and finally set it on anger again. “It will turn on us! It will manipulate and torture us when we less expect it to!” He said ignoring the elf’s jab.

“Yeah! Ain’t we supposed to kill demons?” Sera said nervously she had her bow pointed to Masashi the entire conversation, she looked green in the face, like just talking was too much to her in this situation, her eyes not leaving the Desire Demon who at noticing her eyes on her gave the elf a smirk that had Sera blushing slightly. Why all tall women with horns are so hot!? She scolded herself mentally for being attacked by an fucking demon.

Izuku practically growled at that, sending Sera a murderous glare. “She is not an it! She is a person and she has a name!”

“You gave her a name” Blackwall stated in surprise, he didn’t look like he was against him befriending a demon, maybe it was because he was a Grey Warden? They did accept all kinds of people because of the Blight.

The greenette crossed his arms; he was getting really annoyed at them. “We can’t treat the unknown like they are all evil!”

Dorian arched his brow amusedly but nodded. “The Herald is right”

The ex-Templar scowled at the darks-skinned Altus. “Of course the Tevinter bloody mage would agree with this nonsense!” He said bitterly.

Leliana sighed, maybe it was because her lover Surana was a blood mage, but she really didn’t mind spirits and demons and this conversation was getting tiresome. "She is not doing anyone harm" She said flatly.

Cullen looked at her like she had just gone insane. "You are kidding me" He said almost like a whisper in disbelief.

"She actually sounds really serious" Masashi said eyeing her fingers which had several rings on it.

He turned to look at her with a glint of fear in his eyes, he drew his sword and pointed it towards her. “Silence demon!”

She blinked slowly.“Wow, rude” Letting out a snort she turned back to look at the jewelry.

Annoyed by her lack of fear, the blond sent Izuku a murderous glare. "How could you get yourself lured by this-this creature? She is nothing but a murderous fiend!" He pointed to Masashi with his sword once again, she let out a mock gasp, bringing a hand to her chest as she threw an offended look at the Commander battling her eyelashes at the blond before blowing a kiss at his direction.

That threw the man off for a moment, sputtering at her audacity. "We shouldn’t even be discussing it, we should have killed her the moment we found out about it!!”

“A good demon is a dead demon” Iron Bull said in agreement, finally speaking up, the entire conversation he has been staring at Masashi waiting for a signal that he could kill her.

Izuku threw him a cold look. “A good Ben-Hassrath is a dead Ben-Hassrath then” He said coldly. “You don’t have any say in this **_Hissrad_** ” The greenette practically spat the words.

For anyone The Iron Bull simply didn’t react, but Izuku who held eye contact with the Qunari noticed his eyes twitch at the name, he touched a nerve.

“My dear you can’t be in your right mind if you think associating with a demon is right” Vivienne said in disgust making both men stop their staring contest in favor of looking at her.

Cassandra who has been quiet until now, looked torn between defending the Herald and wanting to kill the Desire Demon, after all, the creature did save Izuku, had he tried to walk through the blizzard by himself with his broken leg, he would have died not even an hour out there.

“I believe…that this is a… special circumstance…” She finally said.

Everyone looked at the Seeker in shock, from all of them they expected her to be the most outraged by the idea of having a demon among them.

“He asked if she wanted to change, to be purpose again, he showed her kindness so she helped him” Cole pop out of nowhere into the scene startling both Bull and Sera who squeaked like a rat.

Solas took a step forward. “Cole is right; there is no sign of maliciousness coming from her”

“And we are to believe these demons?” Vivienne spat at him earning a glare from the bald elf.

Cassandra once again surprised them as she said: “I don’t believe she has any ill intentions, if not for her, the Herald would have died, he was in no state in walking, and she carried him straight to the camp in time for us to help him” She said fiercely. “I know we are to believe she is a danger, but…the maker has been helping us in strange ways until now, maybe this demon was sent as proof that things are changing” The woman said hopefully.

Varric who had been at her side when she had given up all hope, smiled softly at seeing the woman’s hope come back so strongly.

“I’ve seen a lot of weird shit back at Kirkwall, a demon turning up to be a good person doesn’t’ surprise me much” He said giving a wink to the desire demon who giggled knowingly.

“So it’s decided then, Masashi will stay with us, she will show herself in her wolf form in front of the people, the information about what she truly is won’t leave this tent, am I clear?” Leliana said coldly, sending a shiver through everyone’s spines.

“Doesn’t lady Josephine has anything to say in the matter?” Vivienne asked, fishing for support from the Antivan woman.

Said woman looked up from her notes, all eyes suddenly on her, she arched a brow in disbelief. “You do realize we Antiva literally have demons and spirits among us, living normal lives, don’t you?” She said surprised.

Vivienne for the first time in her life had let her mask break as she looked at the tan-skinned woman in shock.

Dorian turned to look at the woman smugly. “I believe Madame de Fer did not in fact know about that”

She glared at him recomposing herself; she let out an indignant ‘humph’. “This is preposterous!” She said before leaving the tent in all her bitchy glory.

Adaar who was trying to keep calm this entire time glared at everyone. "We're not discussing this any further; my child shouldn't even be here! He should be resting!"

Cullen was about to say something when she suddenly was in front of his looking down on him with a murderous aura, she brought up her hand and pointed her big finger at his chest.

  
“By the maker! I swear that if you open your mouth to say anything else I’ll snap you in half like a stick” She threatened the blond who went red in the face at the thought.

Adaar then went to Izuku and wrapped her arms around him and stormed off from the tent, Silvhen hot on her heels.

“Shit, she is hot” Iron Bull groaned.

Blackwall nodded as he watched the woman go. _“I hate to see you leave but love to watch you go”_ He thought to himself.

Sera was practically drooling as she watched the woman go, completely forgetting about the demon and dropping her bow to the floor.

Josephine was blushing as she stared at the place where the Qunari woman was a couple of minutes ago.

Leliana rolled her eyes as the five of them had a crisis. She turned to look at the Desire demon that was looking at them with an arched brow probably being able to feel their desires to bed or romance Herah.

“Go, keep him safe” The red-headed spymaster told her.

Masashi looked up to her and nodded seriously, shifting back to her wolf form she left the tent, nobody dares to say anything as they watched the giant black wolf with tons of jewelry around its neck and paw trotted across the camp.

She entered Izuku’s tent to find the poor boy being scolded by his mother for sacrificing himself back at Haven, though it didn’t last much, not a minute later and she was all over him, asking if needed anything and checking his injuries, she would probably act even more protective than before.

Izuku didn’t complain about it though, that just meant she loved and worried for him.

They all slept in the same tent that night, Izuku being hold his mother and hugged by Silvhen, it made them all feel safe and made them less anxious knowing that the greenette was alive every time they would wake up in the middle of the night.

Masashi lied down next to them, she didn’t need to sleep so she kept an eye open for any attacks.

She has no idea what she is doing helping this human kid, but she didn’t regret it, it felt nice to have a friend, demons don’t usually get along with each other, so she felt really good right now.

She’d anything for this kid.

* * *

The next time Izuku woke he was in his tent, and he heard violent arguing. He blinked the sleep out of his eyes. Silvhen, Masashi and Mother Giselle sat next to him. Silvhen who looked annoyed turned to look at him, noticing him awake, his expression softened as he met green eyes, he took his hand on his and squeezed it lightly, Izuku returned the gesture and listened to the voices outside the tent.

"What would you have me tell them? This isn't what we asked them to do” Cullen shouted.

Ugh, Izuku couldn't stand hearing the man's voice anymore, he was always complaining and yelling.

"We cannot simply ignore this. We must find a way” Cassandra snapped back.

"And who put you in charge? We need a consensus, or we have nothing,” The Fereldan man rebutted.

"Please, we must use reason. Without the infrastructure of the Inquisition, we're hobbled," Josephine pleaded.

"That can't come from nowhere!”

“She didn’t say it could!” Leliana screamed back.

"Enough! This is getting us nowhere,” Cassandra roared.

Izuku sighed tiredly and slowly sat up, trying to stop the Inquisition’s leadership from collapsing into infighting.

Herah put a hand on his shoulder, gently pushing him back down. "Shh, you need rest." She said softly.

He frowned. "This started earlier; they’ve been at it for hours, besides I have been resting for the last two days"

"They have that luxury, thanks to you" Giselle said at his side. "And you have multiple broken ribs and a broken leg if you continue forcing yourself to walk the healer's work will be in vain" She scolded him lightly, Herah nodded in agreement.

The greenette couldn't find in himself to protest, she was right, after all, his leg still hurts terribly, the bone was still fractured, it would take a couple of weeks for it to be healed completely.

Mother Giselle smiled as he lied back down.

"Thanks to the efforts of yourself the enemy could not follow, and with time to doubt, we turn to blame. In fighting may threaten as much as this Elder One." She said as she eyed the Advisors doing their best to not look at each other.

"Do we know where the Elder One and his forces are?” Izuku asked worriedly.

Giselle shook her head. "We are not sure where we are. Which may be why, despite the numbers he still commands, there is no sign of him," Giselle sighed. "That, or you are believed dead, or without Haven, we are thought helpless. Or he girds for another attack, I cannot claim to know the mind of that creature, only his effect on us"

“If they’re trying to figure out what to do next, we need to be out there” He said wearily.

"Another heated voice won't help,” Giselle pointed out, “Even yours, perhaps especially yours, our leaders struggle because of what we survivors witnessed. We saw our defenders stand… and fall. And now, we have seen them return. The more the enemy is beyond us, the more miraculous your actions appear. And the more our trials seem ordained. That is hard to accept, no? What 'we' have been called to endure? What 'we', perhaps, must come to believe?"

"We escaped the avalanche," Izuku offered. "Barely, but we didn't die."

"Of course, and the dead cannot return from across the Veil. But the people know what they saw, or, perhaps, what they needed to see. The Maker works in both the moment and in how it is remembered. Can we truly know the heavens are not with us?"

Izuku seemed thoughtful at that, back in Japan he didn’t believe in any sort of God, but after he died, the woman who brought him back to life, who brought him to another world, she was real, she may be Andraste herself.

He looked back at where the advisors were, it was a sore sight, every one of them looked dejected and defeated, and no one else in the Inquisition looked any better, either.

Naturally, Mother Giselle started singing.

**“Shadows fall and hope has fled; Steel your heart, the dawn will come."** Mother Giselle approached her, her voice carried in the quiet moonlight.

**"The night is long, and the path is dark; Look to the sky, for one day soon the dawn will come."**

Leliana glanced at the Mother, and then joined in with an angelic voice, high and harmonious.

**“The shepherd's lost, and his home is far; Keep to the stars, the dawn will come."**

The two continued to sing, others joining them. Cullen, Cassandra, Josephine, even Fiona and Varric, and Blackwall.

**“The night is long, and the path is dark; Look to the sky, for one day soon the dawn will come."**

They all started to approach Izuku, singing. Every one of the Haven’s survivors. Some were even kneeling. Izuku began to squirm in his own skin.

**"Bare your blade and raise it high; Stand your ground. The dawn will come.”**

**“The night is long, and the path is dark; Look to the sky, for one day soon the dawn will come."**

“Faith is made stronger by facing doubt, Herald. Untested, it is nothing,” Giselle said quietly. She returned to her tent, and one by one the survivors dispersed.

Solas who was leaning into a wall of ice watching the scene finally approached him, he eyed Silvhen, Adaar, and Masashi with an arched brow “A word?” He turned to look back at Izuku.

Since Izuku couldn't leave his bed, the bald elf sat at his side, the tent became crowded with five people inside of it. Well, Masashi was a wolf, but still...

For a moment they spent an awkward minute in silence until Silvhen and Masashi exchanged a knowing look and stood up and left them alone. Adaar glared at the elf suspiciously, but at Izuku’s nod, she got up and left hesitantly.

Solas seemed relieved when they were finally alone. "The orb the Elder One carried the power he used against you? It is elven. He used the orb to open the Breach. Unlocking it must have caused the explosion that destroyed the Conclave. I do not yet know how he survived… nor am I certain how people will react when they learn of the orb's origin."

Izuku returned the man’s gaze intently. “Tell me about the orb.” He said way too coldly.

Solas flinched at his tone of voice, he was still taken aback at how the greenette's attitude changed so drastically after they got the mages, nobody but Dorian and the Advisors knew what had happened, they refused to tell him and the other about it.

"They were foci, used to channel ancient magicks. I have seen such things in the Fade, old memories of older magic. Corypheus may think it Tevinter. His empire's magic was built on the bones of my people. Knowing it or not, he risks our alliance. I cannot allow it."

Izuku outside looked worried but on the inside, he was questioning how much these things Solas actually saw in the fade, he liked the elf, but he was too suspicious, no background, the one he had was poorly made up, he acted as if he wasn't from this time like he was still getting used to this the world's current state.

He can't truly trust everything Solas says, Izuku will ask Leliana to have spies watching the elf, his secret may turn up to be nothing too bad, but it's better to be safe than sorry.

“Everything’s a mess right now” The greenette concurred. “I can see how elves might be an easy target.”

"History would agree, but there are steps we can take to prevent such a distraction, by attacking the Inquisition, this Elder One has changed it. Changed you" He pointed to the mountains from where he sat. "Scout to the north, be their guide, there is a place that waits for a force to hold it. There is a place where the Inquisition can build. Grow."

Izuku had asked Adaar to bring the advisors to his tent, he and Solas explained that the elven man had seen this castle in the fade, the spirits showing it to him, the greenette knew that was bullshit, it was too sketchy, but they needed a place to stay so he accepted the help from the elf for now. The inner-circle was a bit hard to convince, they didn’t trust Solas as well but they had nothing better going on for them, they could stay here in the camp and starve to death or they could try to find this place and maybe survive to fight the Elder One again.

So they told everyone to pack their things and they started their journey.

After the initial blizzard that had plagued their escape from Haven, the weather had remained clear. In fact, the snow banks increasingly turned to slush as they traveled. Izuku had to keep reminding himself that in Thedas, the north was warmer than the south. Thankfully, that also meant it was easier for the Inquisition’s hunters to find game. There was no way the food we had brought with them from Haven would have been able to last an entire month, even with limited rations.

Weeks passed in relative tedium until at last, they climbed a mountain peak and spotted Skyhold’s rectangular turrets in the distance. Skyhold was built for practicality. The fortress overlooked a frozen river, its other sides flanked by mountain peaks and steep gaps. The Elder One would not attack them here. The only way in was the front gate. If he risked sending his dragon to fly over the walls, they would be quite defensible with the Inquisition’s mages on call. Not even a dragon of red lyrium could withstand that sort of direct onslaught.

It took them another couple of days to reach the castle itself.

A ramp carved into the mountain led up to the great stone bridge before Skyhold’s entrance. It would take quite some time to move what supplies they had brought with them into the fortress. But that was a problem for other members of the Inquisition. The inner circle and Izuku went ahead to explore.

His excitement mounted as they crossed the stone bridge and entered the castle courtyard. Though the air was cool, the climate inside the castle’s walls supported plant life. The snow remained outside in the rest of the Frost backs. Sort of like a reverse snow globe.

In a couple of days, they were able to settle in, the place was big enough to fit everyone, it would take some time to reform everything, but they had the time.

In their way to Skyhold Izuku had the help of his mother and Silvhen to walk, most of the times Masashi carried him on her back, so his leg was able to be healed completely by the weeks of walking, now it had been thankfully fully healed, he was looking out of the tower's window and saw the advisors talking to one another, they noticed his eyes on them and Cassandra mentioned him to meet her.

He made his way down and met with the Seeker, she looked around before turning to meet his eyes.

"They arrive daily from every settlement in the region, Skyhold is becoming a pilgrimage" She noted, then she leads him to a walk.

"If word has reached these people, it will have reached the Elder One, we have the wall and numbers to put up a fight here, but this threat is far beyond the war we anticipated" They passed the stairs, Izuku nodded slightly trying to understand where she was getting at.

“But we now know what allowed you to stand against Corypheus, what drew him to you" She said seriously, stopping for a moment.

Izuku frowned; he brought his marked hand up. “He came for this…now it’s useless to him and he wants me dead”

“The anchor has power, but it's not why you're still standing here, your decisions let us heal the sky, your determination brought us out of Haven” She proceeded to walk, the greenette continued to follow her curious.

“You are the creature's rival because of what you did, and we know it, all of us”

They both walked up the stair, Izuku froze in place when he saw Lelianna waiting for them at the top, holding a sword…he looked between Cassandra and the Spymaster trying to connect the dots, his eyes widening as realization came to him.

“It seems you were able to put things up together” Cassandra said smiling fondly at him “The Inquisition requires a leader: the one who has already been leading it”

The courtyard was packed to bursting with members of the Inquisition. The only people from the inner circle he saw were Josephine and Cullen, who were standing at the front of the crowd. Izuku stood above them on the stairs leading to the main keep with Cassandra and Leliana. A banner of the Inquisition waved in the wind behind them. He couldn’t get over the sea of murmuring faces below. Somehow, even though he’d been traveling with all of these people for the past month, he’d never realized just how many of them there were. It was, in a word, unnerving.

Leliana presented the sword representing the Inquisition to a stunned Izuku who took the sword with both hands, It wobbled as he held it up. Why is this thing so damned big, anyway? He was a rougue! He has yet to earn some muscles.

Izuku gulped, he was nervous, he didn't expect them to choose him as their leader, he was just a teenager! But he couldn't refuse it now, he looked at all the people who were looking at him with hope in their eyes, he raised the sword with difficulty but was able to not let it fall.

“Corypheus is a menace, a blight upon the face of Thedas, he was responsible for what happened at the Conclave. You saw for yourselves what he did to Haven.” He eyed the crowd. “But he can be defeated and together, we will stop him once and for all.”

There were shouts of agreement from the crowd.

“Wherever you lead us” Cassandra told him in approval.

Cassandra called down to Josephine and Cullen, who were continuing to hype up the crowd. "Have our people been told?"

Josephine replied: "They have! And soon the world!"

"Will they follow!?"

When Cullen raised his sword in a salute, Izuku lifted the Inquisition sword as high as he dared in return. Please don’t fall, he begged it.

Mercifully, it didn’t. The crowd roared its support as he struggled to hold the sword aloft. The whole thing was overwhelming.

Finally, the crowd dispersed. Izuku gratefully lowered the sword and turned it back over to Leliana, he wanted to disappear, this was way too overwhelming. Leliana nodded giving him a sympathetic look.

He practically flew down the stairs, Silvhen and Adaar were waiting for him, he tackled his mother into a hug who knew her child too well and already had her arms spread.

She carried him to the garden, luckily nobody was there.

“I can’t do this!” He finally said panicking.

“I’m sorry son, I tried to talk them out of this” Adaar said softly as she pats him on the head, Silvhen was drawing circled on his back to calm him down.

“I’m not a leader! What am I supposed to do?” He met her eyes, it pained her to see her child so desperate.

“I’ll help you” She said fiercely. “I had managed to convince them to at least put me as your personal advisor; I’ll be there for you anytime you need me to”

Izuku felt himself relax a little; he was really mad at the advisors for not telling him beforehand, he almost had a panic attack back there!

“Don’t worry Izuku, you have been leading us all this time” Silvhen said reassuringly. “And you will have us to help, so don’t stress yourself about it”

That made him relax completely, yeah, he had people he could lean on, people he trusted.

He saw by the corner of his eye Masashi trotting her way towards him in her wolf form, she sat in front of him barring her teeth. “Want me to kill them?” She asked truly mad at them.

He rolled his eyes, the Desire Demon would often ask him that when anyone would upset him. “No, but thanks Masashi”

She snorted but nodded, she walked away to play with the elven children, they loved the wolf, she was surprisingly good with children for a demon, she enjoyed spending time with them though.

As she left, Dorian and Mahanon approached them, both grinning madly.

“Sooo…you two finally got together huh?” Mahanon said with a grin, Dorian had a matching expression on his face. “We wanted to bring that up at the camp but we had no time after we had to move”

Adaar was showing expressions that no one has ever seen the woman show; she looked like she was proud and was trying not to cry. Izuku swears he heard his mom whisper something like ‘they grow up so fast’, she already knew about Izuku and Silvhen being together but she was still so happy for them.

“Yes, we are” Silvhen confirmed at Izuku’s side, eyeing both men suspiciously he squinted his eyes.

Both men’s grin widened at that.

Oh no.

They got even closer, taking a seat next to them, Adaar grinned knowing that what they were about to do was to distract the greenette a little bit from what happened earlier but also something they needed to talk about.

Dorian eyed both teens seriously “You’re both young, teenagers, we know you are both at the age where you feel the urge of doing some specific things” He said trying his best to keep his composure.

“Things with each other to be more specific” Mahanon continued, wiggling his eyebrows at them.

“But you are too young so don’t go stripping each other’s clothes off in the middle of the night” Mahanon said cheerfully.

“Or at any time of the day to be honest!” Dorian Continued.

“By the creators!”/”Oh my God!” Both Silvhen and Izuku exclaimed both going red in the face, the greenette put his face on his hands in pure mortification.

Adaar rolled her eyes at the two men. “They aren’t going to do anything like that in a couple of years, right?” She smiled sweetly at Silvhen who fidgeted nervously under her gaze.

“Y-Yes ma’m”

“Mom! Don’t threaten my boyfriend!”

She just smiled innocently, happy that her son got distracted.

She still wanted to kick the advisors' ass though. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please comment, pleeease, don't be afraid of making long comments! I love reading long comments ;v;


	14. Here Lies In The Abyss Part 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Guys! Jaycee-Sea on Discord made a Podfic of this fanfic!! Chapter 1 is already out!!
> 
> https://drive.google.com/file/d/1GcwnFv0b_LlL4cYyNsAiC2BK-k3bTeQu/view?usp=drivesdk
> 
> \- Izuku meets Hawke, stops a fight between Cassandra and Varric  
> \- Izuku ends up leaving Silvhen behind and hurt his feelings  
> \- We meet the commander of the Grey Wardens of Ferelden  
> \- Dorian is done with the sexual tension between the Seeker and the Dwarf and snaps.  
> \- We see Hawke's companions.
> 
> Sooo, I'm sorry if this chapter is too rushed, I won't be having much time to write this month because of my course, the class starts at 8 AM and finished at 6 PM, I arrive home 8 PM and go straight up to sleep :"^) so yeah I wrote this chapter the entire Sunday, I hope you guys are still able to enjoy this chapter.
> 
> Also I'm very tired, so I'm sorry if there are any gaps....

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> English is not my first language so I'm sorry for all the grammar errors! ;^;
> 
> This chapter has yet to be beta read! If anyone wants to beta read it contact me!
> 
> [My Tumblr](https://ultra-bitchlord.tumblr.com/)  
>  **Please leave comments and kudos, tell me what you liked about the chapter, it helps me keep motivated to keep writing and to actually know if you guys are liking my work!**
> 
> \--------------
> 
> I have a Discord Server<https://discord.gg/7GC3puC> You guys can chat and share anything you like, I'll be warning you when a chapter is coming up and posting some fanart from time to time.

Izuku appreciated his friends’ efforts to distract him, it worked a bit, but he was still anxious about becoming Inquisitor, he has people looking up to him now more than ever. He would have to deal with the mages and templars’ rivalry, with the racism among races, make hard decisions…he is getting tired just by thinking about it.

He sighed tiredly; he was following Leliana into the main part of the castle. The throne room was in worse shape than they expected, piles of wooden beams were strewn across the stone floor, one of the metal chandeliers lay lopsided in the center of the walkway up to the disproportionately small red chair that served as a throne. A thick layer of dust covered everything. At least the stained glass windows on the far side of the room appeared to be intact, if grimy and in serious need of cleaning.

It would take months to rebuild the entire place, but with so many people joining the Inquisition they may finish the repairing faster than they anticipate.

"So this is where it begins,” Cullen said without a shred of irony. He must really believe in the Inquisition’s chances if he’s ignoring the current state of the castle like that.

“It began in the courtyard” Leliana corrected him. “This is where we turn that promise into action.”

“But what do we do?” Josephine asked with concern. “We know nothing about this Corypheus, except that he wanted your mark.”

“Could he strike at us here? We can't have a repeat of what happened at Haven”

“Skyhold has the bones to withstand Corypheus, after what you did with one trebuchet, I'd bet against direct attack” Cullen said…calmly?

Izuku’s eyes widened, did the Commander Ex-Templar blond whinny bitch Cullen just talked without yelling? Holy shit, he may be dreaming, he looked around suspiciously, was Masashi joking with him?

Leliana interrupted his crisis. “We do have one advantage: we know what Corypheus intends to do _next_ ”

She turned to look at Izuku. “In that strange future you experienced, Empress Celene had been assassinated.”

Josephine looked troubled. “Imagine the chaos her death would cause. With his army –“

Cullen cut her off. “An army he’ll bolster with a massive force of demons” He added with a scowl. “Or so the future tells it.”

“Corypheus could conquer the entire south of Thedas, god or no god” Josephine finished. She looked even more worried than before.

Leliana sighed. “I’d feel better if I knew more about what we were dealing with.”

A new voice interrupted. “I know someone who could help with that!”

Everyone turned around to see Varric walking in. "Eh, everyone acting all inspirational jogged my memory so I sent a message to an old friend."

Varric stopped in front of the greenette, he looked up at him. "He's crossed paths with Corypheus before and may know about what he's doing and can help."

Izuku was eager to meet anyone who could help him at this point, he was desperate. "I'm always looking for new allies, introduce me."

Varric seemed nervous about that since he was looking over both shoulders. "Uh, parading around might cause a fuss, it's better for you to meet privately."

Leliana and Josephine looked at each other with a knowing look.

"On the battlements" Varric shook his head "Trust me it's complicated."

The dwarf then turned and walked out leaving them to wonder who he was talking about.

Josephine looked at the new Inquisitor, "Well, we stand to move on both of these concerns." She then started to write on her board.

Cullen then looked at Izuku with a smile (okay Cullen's sudden change of personality was creeping him out, ok) "On your order Inquisitor."

Leliana looked at Cullen, "I know one thing! If Varric has brought who I think he has, Cassandra, is going to kill him!" She grinned maliciously.

That was when Izuku came to a realization. “Hawke!” He squeaked excitedly, he was going to meet the Champion of Kirkwall! He had so many questions! He pulled a notebook out of thin air startling the advisors who wondered how the fuck did he just do that, the greenette ran, eagerly wanting to find a quill and ink.

Leliana and Josephine watched the boy leave with a fond look, Cullen just looked confused.

“By the way, if you want to make amends with the Inquisitor, I’d that without pretending to be someone you’re not Commander” The red-headed said through a sweet smile without looking at the blond.

Said man looked at her sheepishly. “I’ll try” He had been scolded by the Nightingale about his extreme reactions of lately, he admits that he has been losing his temper way too often and easily, he still has a long way to change, he knew his fear of mages made his opinions quite biased, and his relationship with the Inquisitor was terrible at the moment.

Hopefully, the kid will forgive him with time.

* * *

Izuku had run through Skyhold like a lightning bolt, all that people could see was a green blur making its way through the stairs.

At last, Izuku spotted Varric. He was alone, but the greenette assumed that was only because he was keeping Hawke hidden from Cassandra. Sure enough, not ten seconds after he reached him, Izuku heard footsteps behind him; he turned and gasped at the sight.

The man had short black hair, he had a black tattoo on his face, mostly covering around his eyes, said eyes were a light blue, he had a normal-sized beard. At his back, he carried his staff, his armor looked so cool! It was light armor since the man was a mage, but the style, damn, that looked stylish as hell! Much better than most mage robes that his companions wore.

Hawke looked like the embodiment of high energy, the man vibrated with energy, he looked vivacious, it was a bit overwhelming, Varric was clearly being affected by the man’s mood, oh no, it was contagious.

“VARRIC!!!!” The man squealed like a fangirl, opening his arms as he dashed towards the dwarf with such a speed that Sonic the Hedgehog would envy.

He tackled the blond dwarf into a tight hug and spun with the poor man in his arms laughing maniacally, Varric yelped asking his friend to stop but he was laughing as well.

“How’s my favorite dwarf doing!? And Bianca, is she okay?” He looked at the crossbow at the dwarf’s back worriedly.

“I’m fine Hawke” He chuckled amusedly. “And Bianca is doing just fine, not a single scratch” He winked at the man with a big grin.

The man let out a boisterous laugh clapping his friend on his back, the dwarf almost face planted with the amount of force the mage put on it.

Varric's threw him a glare before recomposing himself and finally presented the man to Izuku. “Inquisitor, meet Garret Hawke, the Champion of Kirkwall.”

“Ohh, I missed that title, may you bow at my presence please!” Garret said with a grin.

Varric continued his introductions trying not to laugh at his friend's antics “Hawke, the Inquisitor, Izuku!"

Izuku was fanboying inside, outside he just bowed respectfully trying to keep his face neutral but seemed to fail at it since Hawke chuckled at his excited smile splattered across his face.

The dwarf snorted at seeing his reaction. “I figured you might have some friendly advice about Corypheus. You and I did fight him, after all.”

Garret leaned over the battlements; Izuku followed suit rather than hanging back.

“You’ve already dropped half a mountain on the bastard,” The Champion told him. “I’m sure anything I can tell you pales in comparison.”

“I don't know about that. You fought him in close quarters and lived” Izuku pointed out.

“Fought and killed,” He corrected. “The Grey Wardens were holding him, and he somehow used his connection to the darkspawn to influence them minus the Commander of the Grey Larius who resisted, though the poor man was corrupted by the Blight, he was practically a darkspawn himself”

“Corypheus got into their heads,” Varric chipped in, waving the bottle he carried for emphasis. “Messed with their minds, turned them against each other.”

"Janeka and her active group of Wardens were the ones under Corypheus’s influence, she intended to free him so she could work with him to stop the Blights" Hawke shook his head. "Not a really good idea, the first things he did when we freed him to kill him, he wanted our heads in a plate"

Hawke frowned. “If the Wardens have disappeared, they could have fallen under his control again.”

Izuku nodded, thinking the same thing. "When I tried to stop Corypheus from killing Divine Justinia I saw the Grey Wardens helping him out"

The man sighed tiredly, seemed like he didn't want it to be true. "My brother is a Grey Warden he has told me what happens when you join the Wardens" Hawke said sadly. "They drink Darkspawn blood, there is a chance that you will die right after, those who survive become Grey Wardens, the man who helped, Larius he said Corypheus had the voice of the old Gods, that it was calling for him, the same voices that Janeka was hearing and poised her mind, I think he is doing it again, controlling the wardens by making them hear the 'calling'"

"What is the calling?" Izuku asked curiously.

"It comes to a point that the corruption is too much and you start to hear the calling of the old Gods, the Grey Wardens usually go to the Deep Roads where they spent the rest of the life they have fighting them until they become a Ghoul..." The black-haired said depressingly, his brother has become a Grey Warden because of him, it pains him to think that his little brother will become a ghoul someday.

"My brother Carver has heard his calling a little bit before the Conclave exploded, as many other Grey Wardens have, this is no coincidence" He explained.

"So Corypheus is controlling them again, or at least making them all believe they are dying, making them take desperate measures to stop the Blight forever before they all die, like Janeka" Izuku theorized, if he did that once, why wouldn't he do that again? "The Elder One is some kind of Darkspawn so it makes sense that he can control those who carry the taint"

Hawke nodded amused by the kid's quick thinking. "That's what I thought as well" He grinned. "I have an ally among the Wardens, Kallian Surana, she will be meeting us in Crestwood"

Izuku gasped. "You mean the Hero of Ferelden!? The commander of the Grey Wardens of Ferelden!?" Izuku couldn't believe it! This was getting exciting! He met the Champion of Kirkwall now he will meet the Hero of Ferelden! The one who ended the last blight!

Garret chuckled, amused at the kid, Varric had told him the boy was a fan, for someone from another world he was quick to worship both him and Surana, but again, the teen had come from a world where Heroes are common but still a big deal.

Varric was just glad the kid went back to his usual self, after he came back from the talk with the mages he had been acting weird, he was more serious, stuttered less, and was cold sometimes. So he was relieved that the kid was showing his cheerful self again, especially after the advisors pulled that bullshit of making the anxious child the Inquisitor.

After finishing the more serious conversation, Hawke answered all the question that Izuku had about his time in Kirkwall, Varric had told him about the Champion’s story, but heating it from the man himself was something else completely, besides, everyone knew that Varric tended to exaggerate.

At some point, the greenette had asked how Fenris ended up loving Hawke as he was everything the elf hated.

The man chuckled as he scratched the back on his head awkwardly. “To be honest, ha hated me for the first couple of years since we met, I was already a blood mage back then, became one to save my sister Bethany from an Ogre while we fled, had I not use blood magic to summon a pride demon to take the best down when he had caught her, she would have died, I did it out of desperation, didn’t think it through” He said remembering how his brother, Aveline and her husband reacted to him using blood magic.

“Aveline and her husband Wesley were wary of me after that, the man was a Templar and nearly chopped my head off as soon as the dangers had dispersed, mother and Bethany didn’t react badly, my father Malcolm was a blood mage and they had nothing against the use of blood magic unlike my little brother Carver, he didn’t talk to me for months after that” He sighed, they already didn’t have a good relationship between them, with him being the eldest brother he was the one leading and making the hard decisions, Carver felt like he was being left behind, that he lives in Garret’s shadow.

“When I met Fenris as you may know he had asked for help to kill his former master Danarius, he found out I was a mage as we ended up not finding the Magister, he was disgusted at knowing he escaped from one blood mage to find himself in the company of another”

Izuku was listening intensely, the two other men unaware that he was taking notes.

“He was stubborn though, refused to leave without paying for my help so he accompanied us through our misadventures” He chuckled.

“Did you hate him back for judging you to be an abomination just because you used blood magic?” The greenette asked curiously, he couldn’t imagine himself being with Silvhen if the elf hated him for being quirkless or for befriending Masashi.

The man barked a laugh. “Ahh, if I took everyone serious on their hate towards me I’d be depressed! I usually ignore it or respond with humor” He winked.

Varric snorted, rolling his eyes. “And with flirting” He eyed the Inquisitor. “This one time the elf threatened to rip his heart out and Hawke’s response was ‘if you’re going to steal my heart, at least take to diner first’”

Izuku let out a startled laugh at that, he could imagine the man saying such a thing.

Hawke brought a hand up wiping a nonexistent tear of his eyes. “He was so shocked when I said that!” He said like he had accomplished a great feat. “He blushed! And the laughed….then went back to threatening me” He sighed dreamily. “Said he would snap me in half”

Varric and Izuku exchanged a look between them.

The man coughed. “Anyway, I didn’t stop flirting and making joke with him after that, somehow that made him felt more at ease when with me, though when I asked Anders to help me become a spirit healer he went back to hating me because I was now ‘double possessed’” He rolled his eyes. “It was difficult, we hurt each other’s feelings, broke up then got back together again, but it was worth it” He shrugged. “He still hates mages though minus me that it is”

Izuku frowned. “That doesn’t sound…healthy” He looked at Varric who gave him a look of surprise.

“That’s what I have been saying!” The dwarf threw his hands up in exasperation.

Fortunately, Hawke didn’t seem offended by that. “I know, I know, but we work, I love him, we both can’t be apart from each other now and he has been getting better”

Varric arched a brow at that. “I’m surprised that Fenris didn’t come along, now that you mentioned it”

…

Hawke pointedly averted his eyes from his best friend, who gave him a deadpan look.

“Please tell you warned him about you leaving” The dwarf pleaded.

The mage gulped, he turned to look at him with a nervous smile. “I left a note?”

The blond let out a tired sigh. “Oh Hawke…” He shook his head. “You’re dead”

Izuku looked between the two of them nervous; hopefully, the elf wouldn’t kill the Champion, right?

* * *

Hawke left that same day to Crestwood, he didn’t bother making his departure a secret though, so Cassandra ended up hearing about it and went after Varric like a shark who had smelled blood.

Everyone in Skyhold startled when the woman started to threaten the ward loud enough that the people walking through the gates stopped in utter confusion.

Izuku had to intervene before Cassandra ended up beheading the dwarf, apparently, she had wanted Hawke to be the Inquisitor before the explosion of the conclave since they couldn’t find Warden Surana and now she discovers that Varric not only knew where Hawke was but the Champion knew Commander Surana’s location.

“You knew where Hawke was all along!” The woman exclaimed as she went after him.

The dwarf evaded her. “You dammed right I did!”

“You conniving little shit!” She threw a punch which Varric barely dodged.

“You kidnapped me! You interrogated me! What did you expect!”

“I expected you to tell me! It was important to know his location!!!”

They kept arguing and wouldn’t stop, it was getting extremely annoying, this was getting nowhere!

“Enough!” The greenette commanded angrily, the two adults froze in place, both turning to look at him in shock

Cassandra looked at him surprised. “You’re taking his side?!”

“I’ve said enough” Izuku commanded firmly

She glared at the dwarf before turning to the Inquisitor. “We needed someone to lead this Inquisition, first Leliana and I searched for the Hero of Ferelden, but she had vanished” She glared at Varric again. “Then we looked for Hawke, but he was gone, we thought it all connected, but no, it was just you, you kept him from us!”

Varric pointed towards Izuku. “The Inquisition had a leader!”

“Hawke would have been at the Conclave! If anyone could have saved the Most Holy…” She looked down somberly.

Izuku’s expression softened. “You can’t change the past Cassandra” He said kindly.

She met his big green eyes, he could swear he saw tears in her eyes threatening to fall, it made Varric feel guilty as he averted his eyes from her, Izuku just gave her an understanding look.

She turned away. “Go, just…go V-Varric” She said, her voice breaking at the end.

The dwarf opened his mouth to say something else, but a glare from Izuku had him shut his mouth, he had already done enough, Izuku understood both sides, but that didn’t mean he was going to let the two of them tear each other emotionally. Varric walked down the stairs, leaving the greenette with a mourning Seeker.

“I’m a fool to have believed him” She said disappointed in herself. “Maybe if I had explained better why we needed Hawke he would have told me, I should have been smatter, I should have known better” She looked down shaking her head. “I don’t deserve to be here”

Izuku approached her, startling her as he tackled her into a hug, she didn’t respond at first but after a second she hesitantly wrapped her arms around him.

“You’re too hard on yourself Cass” He said softly. “You did what you thought that it was the best at the moment, we can’t change the past, but we can make a better future; you have been a great friend and an amazing ally to the Inquisition, don’t duel on what could have been it will only make you feel worse”

He felt the woman shake slightly, probably trying to contain herself from crying. “I-I…you’re right” She sniffed. “Thank you Izuku, if there is one thing I don’t regret if having the chance to meet you” The woman said softly tightening the embrace.

Izuku smiled. “The best thing to happen to me was to wake in this world and met all of you, maybe if you had found the Hero of Ferelden or Hawke I wouldn’t have gotten a second chance in life” He reasoned.

Her eyes went wide in realization. “The Maker wouldn’t have the need to sent you to us then” She whispered. “Well, I regret nothing then” She smiled at him feeling better about her failure.

Izuku sighed in relief, he couldn’t stand seeing his friend sad, and who knows, maybe the Marker really existed and was the one to bring him to this world, he was thankful for that. He looked up to Cassandra with a small smile, he had met lots of amazing people in this world.

* * *

The next morning they were all packed to leave Skyhold, Izuku was making his way to his companions when Silvhen approached him with a soft smile on his face which Izuku responded in kind.

The elven teen had his bag on his back. "So, we are going to Crestwood?"

Izuku stopped in his tracks, his eyes going glassy.

_Silvhen looked at him emotionless, his eyes dead without that light it had when he looked at the greenette. His voice came out drawled as he called him Herald instead of his name, body tossed aside like a rag doll that had been used, the sun marking on his forehead telling the world that he had become Tranquil._

Izuku looked down, he didn't want to accept it before, but now he understands that Alexius or somebody else had raped Silvhen, the way he wobbly walked back then in that dark future.

It made his blood boil, he has been thinking about this since they left the mountains to seek Skyhold. Silvhen was strong, he was able to defend himself pretty well and somehow Alexius was able to take him down, to torture him.

He was unsure to take his friend with him, he didn't want that to happen ever again, he had already asked Cassandra to speak with commander Cullen to keep his mom inside Skyhold, to not send her on any dangerous missions.

He couldn't lose them again, he couldn't, just thinking about it had him almost choke on a sob.

He sniffed, clenching both fists he turned to look at his boyfriend with a pained expression earning a worried look from the elf.

"I'm not taking you with me this time Vhen"

The dark-skinned teen looked at him aghast, blinking rapidly as he tried to understand if he heard it right.

"W-What-why? Did I do something?" He asked with a tone of hurt in his voice.

Izuku looked away, not able to meet his eyes, the hurtful look of the elf broke his heart. "No you didn't, I just...I can't take you with me anymore"

The boy eyed his mate in confusion.

"Bu-"

Izuku sighed loudly he turned to look at the teen in the eye. "As the Inquisitor, I command you to stay here at Skyhold from now on" He said blankly.

The white-haired took a step backward, looking at him with mixed feelings, confusion, fear, hurt.

The greenette's expression softened. "I'm sorry" The greenette turned away from him and ran.

"Izuku wait!"

He didn't stop, it hurt, but this was for Silvhen's own good.

He went directly to Skyhold's gates, there he saw Cassandra, Varric and Dorian waiting for him, as he approached he cooled his expression.

"Let's go" Izuku commanded.

Cassandra arched her eyebrows in surprise, looking between the greenette and around looking for the elven teen.

She received a pleading look from the greenette who obviously didn't want to talk about the matter.

She nodded in understanding, she would let it go this one time, but she was starting to get worried, the kid hasn't been doing well since they went to Redcliffe to talk with the mages, Dorian still refused to tell them what happened, saying that it was not his place to tell since the affected by it was Izuku.

She looked at the Tevinter Mage with a knowing look, he shook his head with a sad smile confirming that whatever had happened in Redcliffe was the reason for the boy to leave Silvhen behind.

Varric seemed to want to say something but chose to not test the greenette's patience; he wasn't in a really good mood.

They departed in a sour mood but the dwarf managed to break the ice and crack a joke or two to cheer the boy up, though he still had this sadness in his eyes.

It took them a month to get to Crestwood, the damn place was always dark and it rained nonstop, while the others complained about the weather, Izuku enjoyed the dark place, it always put him at ease when it got dark and rained in Japan.

They arrive at the camp set for the Inquisiton's Scouts, he spotted scout Lace Harding who was awaiting him near the camp, she waved to him with a big smile and he responded equally happy to see her.

"Good to see you safe...Inqusitor" she grinned widely earning a groan from the greenette

Izuku let out a long-suffering sigh giving the dwarf woman a glare. "Please, not you too"

She giggled at his reaction. "Whatever you say Lord Herald"

The others cackled as Izuku looked at her in betrayal.

After a couple of minutes of recomposing herself, her expression soured. "We've big trouble ahead" She sighed.

Izuku eyed her carefully. "I'm sure the inquisition can handle it"

The woman looked at him with a pitied look "Careful you worship, that optimism may be contagious"

Izuku frowned worriedly. "Are things that bad?"

She didn't respond instead she led him forward where you could see the lake...it had a huge ass rift in the middle.

He turned to look at her sheepish. "Oh"

Dorian was staring at it agape while Varric just whistled; Cassandra was looking at it like it had personally offended her.

"Crestwood was the site of a flood ten years ago during the Blight" Lace Harding said tiredly. "It's not the only rift in the area, but after it appeared, corpses started walking out of the lake" She pointed to a trail. "You'll have to fight through them to get to the cave where Ser Hawke's Grey Warden friend is hiding"

“Have any undead attacked the camp?” Izuku asked worriedly, if there were too many corpses walking out of the lake then maybe the scouts should relocate to somewhere safer.

The dwarven woman smiled softly at him glad that the Inquisitor worried for the little people. “We’ve had a few shambles, but most head toward the village below. Maybe someone in Crestwood can tell you how to get to the rift in the lake, Maker knows they'll want help”

She eyed him carefully, grasping his hand on hers she looked him in the eye serious. “Please be safe out there, I say this as a friend not as your scout”

The greenette nodded putting hand above hers and shaking it. “I’ll do my best Lady Harding”

They say their goodbyes and departed, the party followed the road that led to the village, in the way they found two Grey Wardens fighting undead, protecting an elven woman. They joined the fight, Varric had his crossbow on his hands without needing Izuku’s command, he shot three undead in the head while Dorian used necromancing to make the corpses fight each other, Cassandra went on the front line, taking down seven of the undead in a roll.

Izuku managed to take down four undead with his bow and three with his daggers when they got too close, he slit their throats and cut their members off.

The companions stared at him in shock, they never saw him use such violence, they expected him to not engage since they were not demons and resembled living humans, Dorian just threw the boy a worried look but said nothing.

As they finished them off, Cassandra and Varric kept looking at him worriedly as he approached the two Wardens unaware of his companion’s gazes following him.

“The Grey Wardens thank you for the aid Inquisitor” One said saluting him.

Izuku nodded acknowledging. “What are you doing in Crestwood?” He asked suspiciously.

The two Wardens exchanged a look between them, both nodded at each other coming to an agreement.

One of them stepped forward saluting the Inquisitor Ferelden style. “We found Commander Surana, she is hiding in a cave nearby; we will do our best to keep the other Wardens away!"

Izuku blinked in surprise, he wasn't expecting this."I thought all the Wardens were after Surana?"

The Wardens looked down in shame. "Our organization is not in the best shape right now, Warden-Commander Surana may not be our commander but we have great respect for her, it's unfortunate that the others don't think the same, we will not chase a woman who had done nothing wrong aside from speaking out her thoughts"

The greenette eyed them, analyzing the two soldiers, there was no sign of a lie, they truly meant it, maybe he could get them on his side…

“It’s suspicious that all Grey Wardens had heard the calling at the same time, no?” He asked arching a brow.

The two men’s eyes went wide, wondering how did the greenette found out about the calling. “Y-Yes you worship, many of us think the same, but we dare not to speak against our Commander…”

“Well, I have a contact who had some interesting things to say about Corypheus, the so-called ‘Elder One’ it seems like he had tricked the Wardens to hear the calling to free him once in the past” He explained like it was nothing.

The two Wardens looked at him aghast. “A-Are you sure?” When the greenette only nodded the two men exchanged a concerned look with each other. “If that is true then…then we must tell the others”

The other man nodded. “Commander Surana tried to say something along those lines to our Commander but she refused to let her explain” He looked at the Inquisitor. “We shall not let the Wardens be used by that creature!”

Izuku fist-bumped mentally, yes! “Go and tell those you are sure that respect Commander Surana, tell them the truth and leave, go to the Inquisition, we can defeat Corypheus together”

That seemed to encourage them. “Of course Lord Herald!” One said, his voice firm. “We are few here in Crestwood but I’m certain most will follow you!” He saluted before leaving.

The companion looked at the boy in surprise at his silver tongue.

“Well greeny I didn’t know you were so persuasive” Varric said with a grin, Izuku replied with a grin of his own.

“Mom has been teaching me well” He admitted earning laugh from the dwarf and disgusted ‘ugh’ from Cassandra, Dorian just looked proud.

Farther along the road they see the same Elven woman that the Wardens saved coming out of a small house, she gasped at seeing the group, she bowed as Izuku approached.

“Lord Inquisitor!"

He blinked slowly, how the hell news of him becoming the Inquisitor already reached here? This is the third time someone has called him Inquisitor outside Skyhold ....oh wait, Leliana, ugh, there was no need for this, really.

He smiled awkwardly at the woman making a motion for her to stop bowing, she complied looking at him with a spark of hope.

“Did you see how the Grey Wardens saved me from those corpses? They're amazing” She said in awe, her expression turning into a determined one. “I'm going to see if they're looking for recruits, I want to help, like them!”

Izuku suppressed a flinch, now that he knows that to become a Grey Warden they may end in the process and what happens when you survive he didn’t want anyone joining the order blindly. “The Grey Wardens…are having problems of their own right now, you can help in other ways” He said calmly.

Cassandra interjected. “The Inquisition has its door open to anyone willing to help, there are lots of ways to help that are not lethal”

The woman’s eyes sparkled, she nodded firmly. “I’ll be making my way to Skyhold then” She bowed once again. “Thank you for allowing me to help you worship”

They watched as the elven woman walked back to her house, Varric sighed in relief. “Well done you two, you just saved her from a painful life” He muttered darkly.

Dorian who didn’t know much about the joining of the Wardens nodded in agreement anyway. “Yes, we don’t need more people sacrificing themselves; she will do good in the Inquisition”

Izuku felt good at changing the woman’s path to something good, if he could he would avoid all the unnecessary deaths, he looked at his side wanting to find Silvhen’s smiling at him in approval and found an empty space…as yes, the greenette frowned in disappointment, he left him at Skyhold, he looked away saddened, he missed the elf’s presence…

Dorian noticed that and patted him on the shoulder.

They returned to make their way to the Creswood’s village, as soon as they get nearby they find a couple of people struggling to fight of undead and demons at the village’s gates, they rush to help them out, going straight to attacking the creatures.

Fortunately, there weren’t too many undead and the fight ended sooner than they expected, the villagers thanked them profoundly and pointed the way to the Mayo’s house.

At the top in the lonely house, they found the Mayor who seemed to be expecting them.

“The Inquisitor? Mayor Dedrick of Crestwood Village, at your service, despite everything” The man greeted him, he eyes the Herald hopefully. “Are you…here to stop the undead?”

Izuku nodded. “The undead are appearing because of a rift in the lake, how can I get to it?”

The Mayor froze in place, his face palling, he coughed on his fist, trying to recompose himself. “The light in the lake? It’s coming from the caves below Old Crestwood” He explained nervously. “Darkspawn flooded it ten years ago during the Blight, it wiped out the village, killing the refugees we took in”

Dorian joined the conversation. “I saw a dam, if we use it to drain the lake, we can get to that Fade Rift” He pointed out.

That had the Mayor panicking. “Drain the—there must be another way!” He looked at Izuku exasperatedly. “You'd have to evict the bandits in the Old Fort to use the dam, I can’t ask you to risk your life”

Izuku narrowed his eyes in suspicion, the man was hiding something…he wanted to call him out but decided to let it pass for now. “Crestwood can't last much longer; I don't want to leave without doing what I can” He pleaded.

“I….I supposed it must come to this” The man said in defeat, he went to his desk and got something from the drawler and walked back to the greenette he put something on the boy’s hand. “This key unlocks the gate to the damn controls past the fort, the rift must be in the cave under Old Crestwood”

They left after that, they decided to find Hawke’s Grey Warden Surana before invading the Fort, the found the cave just where the other two Wardens had pointed to them. Hawke was waiting for them outside the cave, he waved at them like an excited child, Varric practically flew as he ran towards the man, Cassandra rolled her eyes at their antics, it was like the two men were siblings.

While Hawke and Varric talked and laughed as they approached, the blood mage looked at the party searching for someone, he frowned when he didn’t find who he was searching for.

“Where is the mini Fenris?” He asked, at everyone’s confusions he explained. “The elf boy? White hair, dark skin?”

“His name is Silvhen, Hawke” Varric said rolling his eyes.

Izuku froze, he looked away uncomfortably. “He is at Skyhold” He replied, when Hawke opened his mouth to ask for further explanation, Varric elbowed him…on the knees since he was a dwarf.

The man shut his mouth, looking at his friend with an arched brow, the blond just mouthed a ‘not now’ and went further into the cave, the others following him.

As they opened the wooden door they found the elven blood mage, sitting on a rock with crossed arms, she had two daggers on her back, apparently, she wasn't a one-trick pony, the woman could defend herself in case she had no magic.

The elf looked at him, her eyes analyzing him before her expression softened at realizing that the Inquisitor was just a child, it was cruel to put him in such a position, he has so much on his shoulder at such a young age.

She stood up walking towards him. "Greetings my Lord Inquisitor" She bowed respectfully.

"Ah, you don't have to call me that! Just Izuku is fine!" He said with heated cheeks, he couldn't believe that a Hero of Ferelden just bowed to him!!

Surana blinked in surprise, most humans would want others to address them by their title. But from what Leliana had told her the kid was from another world, so maybe his costumes were different there.

She smiled softly at him nodding. "Alright Izuku, it's a pleasure to meet you"

The boy blushed harder, she had to hold herself from laughing, it seems like she has a fan.

"I have no many things that I want to ask" He said excitedly, his eyes practically sparkling as he smiled brightly.

She couldn't help but chuckle. "I would love to answer all your questions when we get to Skyhold, but for now I must tell you about the situation of the Wardens, shall we?"

The boy nodded quickly his expression turning serious.

"Alright, the situation is dire all the Wardens have been summoned to Orlaid by Warden-Commander Clarel in one last attempt to end the Blight forever" She sighed tiredly, her expression souring. "I've tried to tell them that the calling coming to all Wardens made no sense, that something was off, but most chose to ignore me and hunt me down since I've been trying to talk them down"

"I've come across two wardens who seemed to hold a great admiration towards you in my way here" Izuku pointed out. "They knew where you were and assured that they would lead the other Wardens away from your location, I explained about yours and Hawke’s suspicious and they agreed to gather as many Warden that are loyal to you and go to Skyhold"

Surana's eyes widened at that, a soft smile formed on her face as she looked away with a spark in her eyes. "I'm glad to have some of the Wardens of Orlais in our side"

She broke out from her trance. "Garrett had told me that you have figured out about Corypheus probably faking the calling to fright the Wardens, no?"

The greenette nodded proudly.

"So there is not much I could provide to you now" The elven woman said sadly. "I'll be going to Skyhold after you're done here, I have a few friends investigating about the matter, when they send word we must depart"

Izuku smiled excitedly. "You'll accompany us?!"

Hawke and the rest of the companion watch amused as the boy looked at the woman with big green eyes shining in excitement.

She shrugged giving him a smile "You could always use more help right?" She winked at the greenette.

He vibrated from joy; the Hero of Ferelden was going to fight along with them!!

"We are going to take over Caer Bronach outpost, we need to drain the lake and the fort is the only way to the dam controls" Cassandra explained.

"Oh, I'm totally up to kicking bandits' asses!!" The Warden said excitedly.

That decided, they took off to take the fort, Surana and Hawke talked among themselves, at some point they came across a couple of dead villagers.

Varric sighed tiredly. “So many people dying because of those rifts…”

“This could have been avoided, have you told me of the Champion’s location” Cassandra said bitterly.

The dwarf frowned glaring at her. “This again! You did nothing to gain my trust back then! I wasn’t going to just let you find Hawke for no good reason!”

“We had a good reason! We needed a leader! We could have avoided all those deaths had him been at the conclave!”

“He would have died! By the Maker you’re such an insufferable woman!”

Surana and Hawke exchanged a panicked look between them, Izuku looked like he wanted to karate chop the two bickering adults and be done with it.

“If I could I would send you back to Kirkwal I want to be nowhere near you!”

“Well I could say the same!”

Dorian was the one to finally snap. “Children! Children! Children!!!” He said loudly startling the two adults.

“This interminable bickering was amusing at first, but it’s getting very stale and we’ve still got a very long road ahead of us” He said pinching the edge of his nose in annoyance. “So, why don’t you two cut the horseshit and get to the part where you admit your sexual feelings for one another?”

Both Cassandra and Varric gaped at the Tevinter Mage.

“Woaaahhhh!” Varric exclaimed appalled.

Cassandra pointed a finger at the dark-skinned man with an angry scowl, he didn’t know if she was red from anger or embarrassment. “You’re way off base!!!”

“Oh, spare me, spare me, spa-re me!” The Altus said waving his hands exaggeratedly.

Dorian made eye contact with Cassandra. “Yes, yes, he is a liar and a brute, I know, probably remind you of a bad relationship, and by the Maker you'd really like a nice man to settle down with, but admit it, you're really curious to know what he's like in the sack!!”

The woman gasped in horror, looking at him scandalized, no words leaving her mouth as she was too shocked to say anything.

The Tevinter Altus then turned to look at the dwarf. “And you, ha!”

The blond startled, eyes going wide.

“You're just a big manbaby who'd rather act funny than show his true feelings because the last time you opened your heart, you got hurt”

The dwarf opened his mouth to object but a glare from the man had him shut his mouth, Dorian looked at both of them with crossed arms.

“And now rather than admit these feelings, you're dancing around one another with his mind-numbing and frankly boorish mating ritual. So, please for my sake either you quit bickering” Dorian eyed them seriously. “Or we set camp; you two tear off those clothes and **_get it over already!!”_**

****

There was a pregnant silence after the Tevinter mage finally finished his ranting; Cassandra and Varric were both red in the face looking at an empty space in utter mortification.

Hawke and Surana were staring at the scene with hanging jaws, Izuku was trying very hard not to laugh, he had tears gathering at the edge of his eyes.

Dorian took a deep sigh, putting a hand on his chest as he closed his eyes, it was like a weight was lifted from his shoulders, he has wanted to say this for a long time now and he felt fabulous at finally putting it out on the open.

Their walking went incredible silent after that, Varric and Cassandra pointedly made their best to avoid eye contact with one another.

When they got to the fort they stopped in front of the big door. The two bickering adults finally recomposing themselves and draw they weapons out.

“Shall we knock?” Izuku asked grinning.

Hawke laughed. “Oh don’t bother”

“We should make a dramatic entrance” Surana offered smirking, Dorian nodded in agreement.

The three mages all threw a lighting spell simultaneously at the door, blasting the poor things into pieces and startling the bandits inside. The mages and Varric stood behind giving support to both Cassandra and Izuku who went with everything after the bandits, the Seeker cutting down them men with ease while the greenette used his daggers to kill five of them like they were nothing.

Surana and Hawke thought it was normal, not knowing Izuku since the beginning, but Dorian, Varric and Cassandra exchanged a worried look as the boy took lives away like they were just filthy insects. They would have to talk about this when they got back to Skyhold.

It took them half an hour to kill all the bandits, when the fight was over they sent a crow to deliver a message to the advisors, explain that they had taken over the fort and to send Inquisition agents to take care of the place, they could always spread their agents across Thedas.

The party went through a secret passed the led to the dam control, draining the Lake they made their way down fighting lots of undead and demons, closing a couple of small rifts and finding lots of spirits wandering around the Old Crestwood Village.

They found a spirit of command yelling at them to avenge her, Izuku managed to make a deal with her, if he slay the demon who had pushed her away she would go to Skyhold to help however she could, Izuku did as he promised and killed the rage demon hiding in the cave, there he was able to close the big rift that was under the lake.

When they went back to the village the Mayor was gone, leaving only a nother confessing that he was the one who had drowned the Villagers in fear of them spreading the taint to the healthy people, they were disgusted by his action, Izuku understood his reasoning, but he would never forgive someone for drowning all those people even if they were tainted, that was just cruel…

* * *

They spent a month in Crestwood, helping the villagers and killing undead, they closed all the rifts from the place before they finally made their way back to Skyhold which took another month.

The entire travel, Cassandra and Varric kept silent, still embarrassed after Dorian had called them out, which Izuku was thankful for, he really didn’t want to hear those two bickerings when he was in a sour mood, it only made him remember that he had left Silvhen behind.

As they finally reached Skyhold, they spotted a small group waiting for them at the gates.

"Hawke!" An angry female voice called.

Hawke froze in place, the greenette watched as the man went pale and looked like he was about to pass out.

The black-haired mage turned his head very slowly, the scene he saw made him want to disappear from Thedas with a blink, not only Fenris and Aveline were here but his entire family was standing right in front of the gates.

While Isabela was laughing her ass off at his perturbed expression, Aveline and Fenris were looking at him like if they glared enough he would burst into pieces.

“Hey brother!” Bethany exclaimed behind Merril, poking her head out of the small crowd, she waved at him with a bright smile, Carver was looking at his brother unimpressed, while Merril looked like a lost puppy looking to Hawke and back to the furious group in confusion.

Aveline glared daggers at him as she approached the man. The Champion let out a terrified screech as he started to run away from the red-headed.

Izuku watched in amusement as the Champion of Kirkwall screamed like a little girl across Skyhold, Aveline hot on his heels holding her sword, Fenris just walked after them shaking his head in disappointment but also with a soft smile.

The rest of the party made their way in, Kallian Surana made her way to the main part of the castle; she barely made her way to the stairs when a weight almost took her down to the floor. The smells of Andraste’s Grace flowers assaulted her nostrils, she immediately hugged the form that had tackled her in recognition.

“Ma Vhenan” The elven woman whispered softly into the person’s soft hair as tears gathered on the edge of her eyes.

The two of them leaned off to see each other, Kallian smiled at seeing the woman she loves, same haircut and kind smile as when she first met her.

The others who were passing by stopped in shock as they saw Leliana the Spymaster, the Nightingale, a dangerous woman who was cold and would kill to get what she wanted, was smiling affectionally at the elf.

Cassandra was squealing in the background, blushing as she watched the two of them share a passionate kiss. The Seeker was having a field day first Hawke x Fenris, now Leliana x Surana, she was a shipper and a romantic at heart it seems. Varric looked at her with an arched brow in surprise, she immediately stopped fangirling when she saw him looking at her, she coughed and turned to walk away as like nothing happened with her usual scowl plastered on her face.

Izuku watched them fondly and a bit sad, he saw a black figure by the edge of his eye.

Masashi trotted her way towards Izuku, the black wolf looked tired. “Hey, whatever you did or said, your mate has been feeling like shit since you left” She said blankly with a hint of anger.

Izuku looked taken aback at that.

“For real, go apologize, his hurts are so bad that Cole won’t stop pestering me about it” She scoffed. “Lucky you, we managed to calm him down a bit”

Izuku felt his heart break at hearing this, he didn’t mean to hurt Silvhen, he just wanted to protect him.

He quickly made his way to the elf’s tent, he found the boy sitting on the floor looking down miserably.

The greenette sat at his side hesitantly, Izuku felt his heart skip a beat as the boy took his hand and squeezed it.

“Ma Vhenan…”

Ah, how he missed hearing that, he yearned to hear those words coming from his mate for the last past three months.

He met his lover’s yellow eyes.

“I’m not mad, hurt? Absolutely” Silvhen said not looking at him.

Izuku flinched looking away.

"Please, you promised to tell us what happened at Redcliffe, we've waited for you to take your time, but if this is going to affect you so badly and drive you away from us, then we must know why"

The dark-skinned elf looked at him softly. "Me and Adaar have heard of how you killed those bandits, you weren't like this, whatever happened has obviously affected you”

Izuku looked down tiredly, he was right, this was going to far, he was tired of hiding it, tired of having nightmares about it, maybe telling them the truth they would understand why he was keeping them from going with him on any mission.

“Alright” He whispered softly, squeezing the elf’s hand back.

He would tell him, both Silvhen and his mother.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please comment, pleeease, don't be afraid of making long comments! I love reading long comments ;v;
> 
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ruOqUlkiyKw&t=26s

**Author's Note:**

> **Please leave comments and kudos, tell me what you liked about the chapter, it helps me keep motivated to keep writing and to actually know if you guys are liking my work!**

**Works inspired by this one:**

  * [A Quirkless Inquisitor [Podfic]](https://archiveofourown.org/works/29724966) by [BitchImTired](https://archiveofourown.org/users/BitchImTired/pseuds/BitchImTired), [Jaycee_Sea (K1tB1kyuu)](https://archiveofourown.org/users/K1tB1kyuu/pseuds/Jaycee_Sea)




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